WelCom December 2019
Pope Francis marked the Church’s World Day of the Poor on Sunday 17 November, by hosting 1,500 homeless and disadvantaged people for lunch. The menu included lasagna, chicken in a cream of mushroom sauce, potatoes, sweets, fruit and coffee.
Some 150 tables were set up in a Vatican hall where Francis normally holds his weekly indoor audiences with the public. Another 1,500 were treated to a similar lunch elsewhere in Rome, and parishes throughout the diocese were similarly serving lunch for those who were unable to afford their own.
Lunch followed on from a week of free medical clinics set up in St Peter’s Square where volunteer doctors give the homeless and disadvantaged free specialist
health care. General care is available year-round nearby, another of Francis’ initiatives.
On Friday 15 November, Francis opened a new place for the homeless just a few metres away from the colonnade of St Peter’s Square. Up until a few months back, the four-storey building owned by the Vatican, Palazzo Migliori was used by a female religious congregation.
Sources:
– Associated Press
– Crux
See Cardinal John’s letter that he wrote on 14 November 2019, to mark third world Day of the Poor: catholic.org.nz/news/media-releases/offer-a-smile-not-judgement-when-you-walk-by-
the-poor/
A Pastoral Letter from the Catholic Bishops of Aotearoa New Zealand (extended version)
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