By editor - 01 February, 2015
Courtesy: Vatican Radio
The Vatican will offer Rome’s homeless not only showers but also haircuts and shaves when new facilities open later this month, the head of Pope Francis’ charity office said.
Last year, the Vatican announced that it would provide shower facilities in St Peter’s Square for homeless people.
Archbishop Konrad Krajewski told the Italian Catholic newspaper Avvenire on Thursday that it would also offer haircuts and shaves when the services start on 16 February in an area under the colonnade of the square.
Archbishop Krajewski, whose official title is the pope’s almsgiver, said barbers and hairdressers would volunteer their services on Mondays, the day their shops are traditionally closed in Italy.
They had already donated chairs, hair-cutting instruments, and mirrors, the newspaper’s website said.
Archbishop Krajewski came up with the idea of building showers in St Peter’s Square last year after a homeless person told him that while it was relatively easy to find places to eat at Rome charities, it was difficult to find places to wash.
He immediately received the Pope’s backing for the shower project and then expanded it to include haircuts and shaves.
