Italy: an ambulance for the homeless of Rome

On May 31 2020, the morning of Pentecost Sunday, before the Eucharistic celebration, Pope Francis blessed an ambulance for the poor of Rome. It is a new gift from the Holy Father, entrusted to the Office of Papal Charities, in favor of the poorest, in particular the homeless who face the difficulties on the street.

The sad story of Modesta Valenti, an elderly homeless woman who died on 31 January 1983, because the ambulance called to assist her after she felt ill declined to assist her because of her poor hygiene, remains in everyone’s memory.

The ambulance will support other initiativesoverseen by the Papal Almoner. These include a mobile clinic used to provide care to the poor in Rome’s poorer neighborhoods, as well as the Mother of Mercy Clinic, set up in the Colonnade of St. Peter’s Square, which offers first-aid care to homeless people and to those without health care, and which continued to provide service even during the long lockdown period of the COVID-19 emergency.