The columned colonnade of St Peter’s Square – leading to the heart of the Catholic Church and the spectacular Basilica – has looked different during Pope Francis’ papacy.
Francis, a divisive character known to be less conservative than many of his predecessors, is said to have done more than any Pope in living memory for the homeless. Rosary prayers echo from the steps of the Basilica each night in Frances’ honour, where thousands turn up and will him to recover from the double pneumonia that has left him hospitalised since February 14.
But in the shadows, under the arches that famously surround St Peter’s Square, quiet prayers are also being said in the lines of zipped up tents by the most vulnerable The Holy Father has helped. Homeless people, or ‘nobles of the streets’, have become a far more common sight in the tourist-rammed area of Vatican City, particularly the iconic St Peter’s Square, since Francis became Pope in 2013.
In 2015 Francis had St Peter’s Square public bathrooms renovated with the inclusion of a barber shop for the homeless. They can shower there six days per week in a move Francis, 88, designed to elevate homeless people otherwise shunned because of their appearance and smell.
Perhaps his greatest gift was that of the Palazzo Migliori, a luxurious, 19th Century Vatican palace, just yards from St Peter’s Square and with a balcony looking out onto the colonnade. It was previously occupied by nuns but when they left in 2019, many called for this prime piece of real estate to be turned into a grand hotel. Francis refused, and gave it to the homeless, believing that ‘beauty heals’.
“Homeless people also deserve beauty,” said Carlo Santoro, the voluntary manager of the Palazzo Migliori, which is run by the Community of St Egidio, a lay Catholic organisation dedicated to helping the poor around the world. The homeless arrive each morning for breakfast and each evening for a warm meal, and it has 45 ‘permanent guests’ staying there while they try to find a home.
As a result of Francis’s public support, the homeless now feel more welcome in Vatican City. The Pope’s chief alms-giver, Monsignor Konrad Krajewski, dished out tents for the homeless but wherever they set up, demonstrations were held against them, said Carlo.
It has caused some conservative Catholics to criticise The Pope, but the homeless feel more protected in their tents in Vatican City, he added. Carlo explained: “He was considered a Communist by some but Francis said: ‘I was only defending the poor’.”
He added: “He understands the poor, they’re the cornerstone. It’s a simple idea, really, they are at the very centre of the Church and of history. Generally the poor do not exist or count, but we celebrate the funerals of those who die, we remember the names of those who die in the street.
“We try to give a name to those who are forgotten, and so does Francis. The homeless feel defended by The Pope, he gives them a voice. That’s why many of them participate in the Rosary for him each night, they now want to give their voice for him in his time of need.”
Inside the Palazzo Migliori, 84-year-old Genaro Grandinetti, who worked as a tour guide in London in the 1970s, is a prime example of somebody who has slipped through the gaps of society. Ten years ago, he lost his childhood home, that he had lived in for 50 years, and ended up residing in a city centre shelter with another religious charity.
Genaro, who has a heart condition and is battling prostate cancer, has lived at the Palazzo Migliori for the past two years. Speaking to the Mirror, he said: “This place is my security, I have no idea where I would be without it. To give this building to those who need it most was an incredible thing to do.”
At a soup kitchen in the Trastevere neighbourhood of Rome, which helps between 500 and 1,000 people per day, there is no denying the affection with which this Pope is held. Former cyclist Franco Benedictti, 62, was homeless and now finds himself out of work. He and others find more than just food at the kitchen, they find a community with a focus on creating a family atmosphere rather than just a place to eat and get warm.
“For me, Francis is an amazing person,” he said. “What he has done for those who have less is incredible. I wish him 100 years more and also to meet him one day. I would be a dream. He made St Egidio more well known by talking about them and so they became more able to help people. This is perhaps the most beautiful thing he did. I pray for him every night. I pray for him because he has supported me.”
Antonino Siragusa, 68, now volunteers at the soup kitchen after being helped by them. He twice had lunch with Pope Francis, he said, adding: “He is a person very important to us – he likes to speak to the people. He told me to be aware to never say you’re tired to help others. I am very sad and worried for him.”
Francesco Pecorari, a coordinator at St Egidio, showed us around the kitchen with the help of its manager Augusto D’Angelo. “For sure they pray for him in their tents every night during the Rosary,” said Francesco. He added: “Under Francis, poor people have become more hopeful,” he added.
“They feel safer with him, they feel safer sleeping in Vatican City. Our feeling is that Pope Francis gave these people back dignity. We continue that here because we serve them like in a proper restaurant and the menu changes daily.”
Francesco is worried of the impact it would have on the world if he died. He said: “It’s not the best time in the world to lose a Pope. There is such polarization in the world now, his particular voice of reason and peace, and speaking for those who do not have, is so important. He brought such energy to our community and reinforced, with Palazzo Migliori, that beauty is also part of the treatment.”
Francis remains in the Gemelli Hospital in Rome. After two days of small improvements in his health, he took a turn on Friday night, when his airways suddenly tightened causing him to breathe in vomit.
After the ‘bronchial spasm’ he was quickly given air and a breathing mask, in what was a setback in his two-week battle against Pneumonia. Media from across the globe remain in Rome, in Vatican City and camped outside the hospital where he is being treated, awaiting updates.
But as Catholics around the world pray for his survival, and while tourists continue to flock to this most sacred of cities, it is perhaps the people on his doorstep, in the shelters he provided and the tents that he gifted, who are wishing more than any that the ‘pope of the poor’ recovers to continue fighting for them.