VATICAN CORNER
On April 10, 2017 it was the first grand opening of a laundromat by a pope. Inside the “People of Peace Center”, a former hospital complex near the Vatican in the central Trastevere area of Rome, Pope Francis celebrated his latest gift to the city’s poor and homeless. It is a Vatican sponsored facility where people struggling with extreme poverty can wash and dry a load of laundry for free. The facility is run by the Romebased Community of Sant’Egidio, who have for over a decade been assisting Rome’s homeless. There are six washers and six dryers, of the latest generation, along with several irons, all donated by the Whirpool Company, and a free supply of detergent and fabric softener, donated by the Procter & Gamble Company. For those living on the street, one of the many difficulties is to be able to wash, dry and iron their clothes and blankets. The laundry is a response to Pope Francis’s invitation to give concrete signs of solidarity to our brothers and sisters in need. Pope Francis’ Office of Papal Charities run by Archbishop Konrad Krajewski, has already set up showers, a barber shop, a dormitory, a healthcare clinic and a pharmacy for the poor in Rome, but what was missing was a laundry service. Krajewski explained that “one of the greatest difficulties for those who live on the streets, along with finding food, a place to spend the night, and public baths, is to wash and dry the clothes they wear, in many cases the only ones they own”. “The laundry is meant to “restore dignity to so many people who are our brothers and sisters.” Krajewski is a well-known figure among Rome’s poor, often personally delivering aid. He follows the Pope’s instructions to go out into the City and find those who need help, and personally brings food to homeless shelters, delivers thermal sleeping bags to those sleeping on the streets in the winter, and organizes social activities such as concerts and museum visits for the needy. A U.S. volunteer organization called Laundry Love may have been part of the inspiration for the new Roman laundry. Episcopal Bishop Diane Jardine Bruce of Los Angeles says she shared the Laundry Love idea with Pope Francis. In the U.S. Laundry Love has partnered with local laundromats to offer free services at certain hours to people in need. Or sometimes volunteers pay for someone’s laundry, or sometimes the proceeds from certain machines go to the non-profit organization. The hope is that Pope Francis’ laundromat might inspire others to also help. Throughout history there have been many popes who have helped the poor of Rome. The famous Trevi Fountain, for example, was commissioned by Pope Urban VIII to bring fresh water to the poor of the City.
Sources: cruxnow.com, radiovatcana.va, fastcompany.com