Homelessness in Vatican City

Homelessness in Vatican City is a social issue, with the people coming predominantly from the surrounding Italian city of Rome. Several facilities have been established by various the Papacy as a means to provide housing and food to the homeless.

## Background

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Vatican City is a small city-state located within the confines of the Italian capital city of Rome.[1] Rome is estimated to have about 8,000 homeless people, mostly Italians, and they mostly engage in begging for living on the streets.[2] Homeless people often reside on the streets around St. Peter's Basilica. Issues from the homeless include policing and security of the visitors from any untoward incidents, and sanitization of the spaces around Vatican due to open defecation and urination by the homeless.[3]

## Facilities

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Since 2013, sleeping bags and tents have been provided for the homeless in the Vatican City.[4] In 2015, a shelter was established just outside the Vatican walls and was opened by Pope Francis.[5] The shelter is called "Gift of Mercy" ("Dono di Misericordia").[6] Pope Francis also organized for showers to be built in the public restrooms, and provide laundry services.[4] In November 2019, he converted Palazzo Migliori, a luxurious 19th-century building donated by the Migliori family, into a shelter for homeless people.[7][8] The office of the Papal charities also oversees haircuts, and cleaning services by volunteers for the homeless.[2]

## Other activities

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In June 2015, the Vatican invited homeless people to view the Shroud of Turin, a cloth believed to have been wrapped around Jesus after his crucifixion. The Papacy has also invited homeless people for visits to the Sistine Chapel and other museums in the premises.[2] In 2015, the Pope allowed a deceased homeless local to be buried in the Vatican.[9]

The World Day of the Poor was established by Pope Francis in 2016, and involves a feast hosted by the Pope for the homeless people in the Paul VI Hall in the Vatican. The Vatican also sends food packages to homeless people in Rome, along with a prayer message from the Pope.[2] During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vatican organized for mass vaccination of the homeless.[4]

## See also

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* Index of Vatican City–related articles

## References

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1. ^ "Vatican City". UNESCO. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
2. ^ a b c d "The Vatican alone cannot house all Rome's homeless". UCA News. 1 February 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
3. ^ "Pope Francis's Homeless Guests 'Are All Moving' to St. Peter's Square". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
4. ^ a b c "Pope Francis sheltered the homeless". Reuters. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
5. ^ Service, Rosie Scammell Religion News (11 June 2015). "Pope Francis To Open 30-Bed Homeless Shelter Steps From Vatican Walls". Huffington Post. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
6. ^ "Surprise! Pope Francis stops by Vatican's new homeless shelter". Religion News. 16 October 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
7. ^ "Pope Francis Turned A Vatican Palazzo Into 'Palace Of The Poor' For Homeless People". NPR. 7 February 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
8. ^ "Inside Vatican palace gifted to the homeless by Pope Francis as Holy Father still in hospital". The Mirror. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
9. ^ "Homeless man to be buried inside the Vatican for the first time in Holy See history". The Telegraph. Retrieved 1 June 2025.

* v
* t
* e

Vatican City articles

* Index
* Outline
* Holy See
* Properties
* Pope: Leo XIV
* List of sovereigns
* Vicar General for Vatican City

History|

* History of the papacy
* "Prisoner in the Vatican"
* Circus of Nero
* Old St. Peter's Basilica
* Papal tombs
* Navicella
* Leonine City
* Cortile del Belvedere
* Santo Stefano degli Ungheresi
* Lateran Treaty
* Borgo Nuovo
* Borgo Vecchio
* Piazza Scossacavalli

Geography|

| Major basilica|

| St. Peter's Basilica|

* Chair of Saint Peter
* Door of the Dead
* Monument to the Royal Stuarts
* St. Peter's Baldachin
* Saint Longinus
* Pietà
* Vatican Necropolis
* Saint Peter's tomb
* Papal tombs
* Tomb of the Julii
* Vatican Grottoes

|

Apostolic Palace|

* Redemptoris Mater Chapel
* Borgia Apartments
* Clementine Hall
* Loggias
* Papal apartments
* Stufetta del cardinal Bibbiena
* Cappella Paolina
* Raphael Rooms
* Niccoline Chapel
* Sala Ducale
* Sala Regia
* Scala Regia
* The Vision of Constantine
* Sistine Chapel
* altarpiece
* ceiling
* Room of Tears

Vatican Museums|

* Historical
* Paintings
* Modern and Contemporary Art
* Pio-Clementino
* Chiaramonti
* Gregoriano Etrusco
* Gregoriano Egiziano
* Pio Cristiano
* Ethnographic
* Bramante Staircase
* Maps

* Gregorian Tower
* Casina Pio IV
* Sant'Anna dei Palafrenieri
* Domus Sanctae Marthae
* Holy Spirit Chapel
* Gardens
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* Collegio Teutonico
* Teutonic Cemetery
* Mater Ecclesiae Monastery
* Sant'Egidio in Borgo
* Santi Martino e Sebastiano degli Svizzeri
* Paul VI Audience Hall
* The Resurrection
* Passetto di Borgo
* San Pellegrino in Vaticano
* St. Peter's Square
* Via della Conciliazione
* Fountains
* Porta San Pellegrino
* Ricciolo d'Italia
* Saint John's Tower
* Santo Stefano degli Abissini
* Vatican Pharmacy
* Vatican Hill

Politics|

* Elections
* Foreign relations
* Vicar General
* Law

* Crime
* Fundamental Law

Governance|

* Pope Leo XIV
* Cardinal Secretary of State Vacant

Government|

* Roman Curia
* Apostolic Camera
* Commissions
* For Vatican City State
* Councils
* Congregations
* Dicasteries

Military|

* Corps of Gendarmerie
* Swiss Guard
* See also: Corps of Firefighters

Economy|

* Banking
* Vatican euro coins
* Communications
* .va [Internet domain]
* Poste Vaticane
* Postage stamps and postal history
* Homelessness
* Secretariat for the Economy
* Tourism

Infrastructure|

* Transport
* Heliport
* Rail

Culture|

* Academy of Sciences
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* Architecture
* Archives
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* Climate Forest
* Demographics
* Languages
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* film
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* Philatelic and Numismatic Office
* Public holidays

| Media|

* Holy See Press Office
* Vatican Information Service
* Vatican Media
* Vatican News
* Vatican Radio
* Vatican Television Center
* Vatican News App
* Vatican Publishing House
* Acta Apostolicae Sedis
* Annuario Pontificio
* L'Osservatore Romano
* Pope2you

|

Religion|

* Catholic Church

Symbols|

* Anthem
* Coat of arms
* Flag

Sports|

* Amateur Sports Association
* Cricket team
* National football team (Men)
* National football team (Women)
* Vatican Athletics

* Vatican City portal
* Catholic Church portal

* v
* t
* e

Homelessness

People|

* Aged people
* Beggar
* Cyber-homeless
* Families
* Gutter punk
* McRefugee
* Mole people
* Street people
* Street children
* Social orphan
* Vagrants
* Bergie
* Tramps
* Hobos
* Youth

Issues|

* Anti-homelessness legislation
* Bill of Rights
* Bumvertising
* Discrimination
* Mental health
* Patient dumping
* Popular culture
* Spirituality
* Vulnerability Index
* Pets
* Survival sex
* Social cleansing
* Slum clearance

Responses|

* Soup kitchen
* Hygiene program
* Homeless ministry
* Homelessness services
* List
* Street newspaper
* List

| Shelters|

* Homeless shelter
* Cooling center
* Drop-in center
* Four penny coffin
* Two-penny hangover
* Penny sit-up
* Warming center
* Women's shelter
* Homeless Friendly Precincts

|

Housing|

* Foyers
* Housing First
* Rapid Re-Housing
* Right to housing
* Single-room occupancy (SRO)
* Squatting
* Tent city
* Transitional housing

Awareness|

* Homelessness Action Week
* Homeless Persons' Week
* Homeless World Cup
* International Year of Shelter for the Homeless
* Street Child World Cup
* Youth Homelessness Matters Day

By country|

| Africa|

* Algeria
* Egypt
* Ghanaian children
* South Africa

|

Americas|

* Canada
* Vancouver
* Latin American children
* United States
* LGBTQ youth
* Veterans
* Women
* California
* San Francisco
* Colorado
* Columbus
* Florida
* Minneapolis
* New Mexico
* Oregon
* Seattle
* Elsewhere

Asia|

* Bangladeshi children
* China
* India
* children
* Indonesia
* Iraq
* Israel
* Japan
* North Korea
* Filipino children
* Thai children

Europe|

| East|

* Eastern European children
* Hungary
* Russia

|

North|

* Denmark
* Finland
* Ireland
* Sweden
* United Kingdom
* England
* Scotland

South|

* Greece
* Portugal
* Spain
* Vatican City

West|

* France
* Germany
* Netherlands
* Switzerland

Oceania|

* Australia
* Papua New Guinea
* New Zealand

Category

* v
* t
* e

Homelessness in Europe

Sovereign states|

* Albania
* Andorra
* Armenia
* Austria
* Azerbaijan
* Belarus
* Belgium
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Georgia
* Germany
* Greece
* Hungary
* Iceland
* Ireland
*   * Italy
* Kazakhstan
* Latvia
* Liechtenstein
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* Malta
* Moldova
* Monaco
* Montenegro
* Netherlands
* North Macedonia
* Norway
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Russia
* San Marino
* Serbia
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Turkey
* Ukraine
* United Kingdom
* Vatican City

States with limited
recognition|

* Abkhazia
* Kosovo
* Northern Cyprus
* South Ossetia
* Transnistria

Dependencies and
other entities|

* Åland
* Faroe Islands
* Gibraltar
* Guernsey
* Isle of Man
* Jersey
* Svalbard

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