Today, the Vatican said “Pope Francis is offering free corona virus tests for Rome’s poor and homeless. Yesterday, Italy reports one million new virus cases. The pope established the World Day of the Poor four years ago to bring attention to the needy, particularly in developed countries.
He has held Mass for thousands of poor people in past four years. But due to Covid-19, only 100 people could attend the Mass in the vast basilica. The lunch has been dropped out but about 5,000 food parcels will be given to poor families, including 2.5 tons of pasta offered by an Italian food company.
Among the Italians, most homeless people are foreigners who do not have a family doctor with the national health system and Italians who become homeless, because of economic difficulties, often are too embarrassed to return to their family doctors. They get a certificate to enter a shelter and those who test positive are directed to further treatment, if they test negative.
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