Simcha Fisher on Hot Showers for the Homeless Offered by the Vatican

"It's been many years since I was in Rome, but I remember my first impression of the city: it's extremely beautiful, and it smells like poop. Part of that smell comes because Italians tend to have dogs, rather than children. And part of the smell comes because, at least when I was there, public bathrooms are few and far between, and they are coin operated. The phrase 'eternal city' takes on a whole new meaning when you are penniless, on foot, and have nowhere to go for hour upon hour.

"For a college sophomore spending a semester abroad, this discomfort had its exotic charm. For the thousands of homeless men and women who live in Rome, having nowhere to relieve themselves -- and nowhere to shower after a day in city of grit and Mediterranean sunshine -- is a daily reality which means nothing but more humiliation.

"According to the Catholic Herald UK, Konrad Krajewski, the archbishop in charge of dispensing charity from the Vatican, told Vatican Insider that he was talking to a homeless man near the Vatican last year and discovered it was the man's 50th birthday. He invited the man to a restaurant for dinner, but the man declined, saying a restaurant would not let him in because of his odour.

"And so began plans whose first phase was completed on February 6th: the public bathrooms just off St. Peter's Square are now equipped with a bank of free hot showers for the homeless, with free haircuts once a week."

In a recent commentary, writer Simcha Fisher reflected on this initiative and some of its ramifications.

To access her complete reflection, please visit:

NC Register: Simcha Fisher Blog: Hot Showers for the Homeless, Courtesy of St. Peter (10 FEB 15)