Just beside the Vatican and next to St. Peter’s Square, The Palazzo Migliori, named after the family who donated it to the Roman Catholic church, had served as the headquarters for an order of religious women for years until they vacated in 2019. While the palace would have commanded top dollars if it were a hotel, Pope Francis had other, kinder intentions for the building.
After the Calasanziane order, who used the building for 70 years to help care for young single mothers, relocated, one consideration had been to turn the building into a hotel for worshippers hoping to hear pontiffs deliver sermons in St. Peter’s Square. Pope Francis, however, had the building renovated in November, and it now opens its doors to the homeless. “Beauty heals,” Francis said when he inaugurated the building at the time, according to NBC.
And the new residents agree. “This place feels more like home,” said Mario Brezza, 53. “I have my own bed, room and bathroom. It’s so different from the dormitories I have tried until now, where sometimes you feel like an animal in a crowded stable.” Brezza, an amputee as a result of a serious circulatory disease, lives on a $300 monthly disability allowance. He is among 50 or so homeless men and women who recently moved into the 16-bedroom palace.
Volunteers provide hot meals and assist with other tasks. Sharon Christner, 23, Pennsylvania, travelled to help as part of her research on homelessness. “What is special about this place is that it’s not about maximizing dollar signs, but giving people a really beautiful place to be, with the idea that beauty heals,” said Christner.
Back in November, the Pope blessed the palace in the name of helping the poor, just ahead of the World Day of the Poor. Directed personally, Pope Francis’ Almoner, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski turned it into a place where the homeless and poor of Rome could not only eat and sleep, but learn. According to Vatican News, Cardinal Krajewski explained how the palace was to be used in a communique.
The upper two floors were dormitories where around 50 men and women can sleep. In colder months, it will be able to host more when the need is greater. In the refectory on the second floor, guests are offered breakfast and supper served by volunteers. Volunteers are allowed the kitchen to prepare meals not only for those residing, but also those who find shelter in a local Roman train station.
The bottom two floors, during the day, allow those in need to learn new skills necessary for self-improvement. Space is allotted for computer classes, reading and recreation, and psychological counseling.
It should also be noted that during November renovations on the “Palace of the Best,” the construction company in charge employed a group of homeless people at the Vatican’s urging. “The company was so impressed by their work ethic that it hired them,” according to the Vatican’s website.
In an interview with Crux Now, a lay Catholic news service, Krajerwski said, “I asked the construction company to let the homeless workers do the renovation. They agreed a bit hesitantly but then they were so happy with their work, they decided to hire those people- the owner of the company said they rarely see people who would work so hard.”
The palace, built in the 1800s, has now been equipped with an elevator for ease of access to the elderly and people with disabilities. There is a large chapel reserved for the personal and community prayer of the volunteers and guests. An Armenian mosaic of the poor has also been placed on the left side of the altar. A specially framed medal of Our Lady of Confidence was also donated by employees of the Vatican.
“It is a matter of starting the snowball of good. Those people working in the Vatican came to me and said we framed this beautiful medal for the poor. A few years ago they were not going out with initiatives like that, and now you can really see for yourself how the good started to spread,” said the cardinal.
Management of the palace was given to the Sant’Edigio Community, according to Crux. Sant’Edigio is a Rome-based Catholic lay movement famous for its work with peace initiatives for the poor. The organization will supplement volunteers for day-to-day needs, helping the poor look for jobs and educate in literacy classes. Beds were provided by the Holiday Inn chain, and an anonymous donor provided the elevator.
“Jesus said we need to be like a father who is giving all his wealth to the prodigal son, even if everyone else is protesting, including the younger son,” said Krajewski. While looking off a terrace over St. Peter’s Square and Basilica, he added, “You could have a six-star hotel here. 600 Euros a night. Isn’t it great that this place was given to the homeless?”
First published in print by The Stillman Exchange on February 14, 2020.
