Pope Francis Opens Free Laundry Service For Rome's Poor

The Catholic Church has opened a laundry service in Rome where the homeless can wash, dry and iron their clothes.The laundromat, which is being called The Popes Laundry, opened on Mondayand is located inside an old hospital complex in Romes Trastevere neighborhood. Clients will find six new washers and dryers donated byWhirlpool inside the space, along with ironing machines and detergent.The Community of St. Egidio, a volunteer lay communitybased in Rome, is managing the laundry.In the coming months, the community plans to add more services to the space ' including showers, a barber, and medical services.The initiative, first reported on by the Italian daily La Stampa, was inspired by Pope Francis call give concrete form to charity at the end of the Jubilee Year of Mercy.Abre la 'Lavandera del Papa' para pobres @vatican_es https://t.co/lqBpQZqI4s Andrea Tornielli (@Tornielli) April 10, 2017 In an apostolic letter marking the end of that special year in the church calendar, Francis wrote, The desire for closeness to Christ requires us to draw near to our brothers and sisters, for nothing is more pleasing to the Father than a true sign of mercy. By its very nature, mercy becomes visible and tangible in specific acts.Months after Pope Francis was elected as the head of the Catholic church, he gave a trusted archbishop,Konrad Krajewski, the task of handing out alms, or charity, to the poor.Krajewski has carried out that mission over the past few years by setting up showers and a barber shop inside the Vatican for the homeless. -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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