Vatican opens pope’s dormitory for the homeless

From Aleteia: 

The structure has been up and running for about a day or so and the official inauguration took place away from prying eyes last week: Pope Francis’ dormitory for the homeless can host up to 34 people. The news was announced in a communiqué from the Office of Papal Charities which covered the costs of the restructuring work and furnishings.

“A new dormitory for the homeless has been open for almost a week now in Via dei Penitenzieri near the Santo Spirito Hospital in Rome. It was officially inaugurated in the liturgical memory of Our Lady of the Rosary, on Thursday 7 October, with the blessing of the locals and a holy mass,” celebrated by the Apostolic Almoner, Bishop Konrad Krajewski. The mass was attended by the dormitory’s first guests and by volunteers.

The large structure is located outside the Vatican. Until a few months ago it had been used as a travel agency and was offered to Pope Francis by the headquarters of the Society of Jesus. This was the Jesuit community’s way of responding to Francis’s October 2013 appeal for buildings to be placed in service of the needy and those in difficulty.

“The dormitory,” the communiqué says, “bears the name Gift of Mercy. Gift because it is a true gift from the religious community; Mercy because mercy is love’s second name which is expressed through concrete and generous gestures toward others.”

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Photo: Vatican Radio/AFP