Vatican invites 150 homeless for dinner, private tour of Sistine Chapel

Last updated on: March 24, 2015 at 7:48 pm by CNA Daily News

Vatican invites 150 homeless for dinner, private tour of Sistine Chapel 2015-03-24T19:48:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Vatican City, Mar 24, 2015 / 01:48 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- In addition to food, umbrellas, sleeping bags, showers and haircuts, the Vatican is now offering Rome’s homeless the gift of beauty.

On Thursday afternoon, 150 homeless persons will receive a special ticket for the Vatican Museums given by the office for papal charities. They will then be divided into three separate groups with a guide, Vatican Insider reports.

Before heading into the museums, the homeless guests will also receive a tour of Vatican City State, where they will pass by the Pope’s residence in the St. Martha guesthouse.

After making a first stop at the Carriage Pavilion, the groups will go on to the Upper Galleries – including the Gallery of the Candelabra and the Gallery of Maps – before visiting the apartment of Pius V and finally the Sistine Chapel itself.

The chapel will be closed to the public during the day in order to prepare for their guests that evening.

The homeless will have the opportunity to see and take in Michelangelo’s famous frescoes before pausing for a moment of prayer inside the chapel, which is traditionally where new popes are elected.

Guests will then head to the Vatican Museums’ restaurant, where they will be offered dinner.

In addition to having custodians help them carry their personal belongings – including backpacks, knapsacks, carts and even dogs – the homeless persons will also be offered headphones to use throughout their guided tour.

An initiative of papal almoner Archbishop Konrad Kraiewski, the visit is designed to show the city’s homeless population not just the beauty from outside the colonnades of St. Peter’s Basilica, but also the beauty within, which belongs to everyone, including those who have met misfortune and are living in poverty.

The initiative is the latest in a string of charitable initiatives enacted by the almoner on behalf of Pope Francis since his election two years ago.

In November of last year, Archbishop Kraiewski met a homeless man who said that although a sandwich was easy to find in Rome, a way to keep clean was not. As a result, the archbishop had the public bathrooms in St. Peter’s Square remodeled to include showers and clean underclothes for those in need.

Completed in February of this year, the bathroom initiative rolled out alongside a haircut service for the homeless, who receive the free services on Mondays – when many other barbershops are closed – at the hands of volunteer stylists.

A string of other charitable events include the December distribution of sleeping bags for the homeless coinciding with the Pope’s birthday, as well as the handing-out of 300 umbrellas to those living on the streets during Rome’s rainy month of February.

Pope Francis on Sunday commissioned 400 of Rome’s homeless residents to assist him in distributing a pocket-sized book of the Gospels to faithful who had gathered for his weekly Angelus prayer, saying to receive the Word of God from their hands was a reminder that it is the poor who preach the Gospel to us.

In addition to offering lunch to the homeless who helped in the square Sunday, the Pope’s almoner also helped to deliver 1,000 pounds of food to the poor in Rome’s Tor Bella Monaca neighborhood with the help of the Institute of Medicine Solidarity Onlus.

Pope Francis had been in the neighborhood March 8 for his visit to the parish of Santa Maria Madre del Redentore. Archbishop Krajewski was scheduled to deliver the food March 21.

Vatican

Previous Post

March 24, 2015

Vatican offers solidarity for victims of Alps plane crash

Next Post

March 24, 2015 Protestors disrupt bishop's installation in Chile: 5 keys to understanding the controversy

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who interpreted the "writing on the wall" for King Belshazzar?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Ezekiel Jeremiah Daniel Isaiah