Rome, 10 December 2015
Two days prior to the opening of the Holy Door in St. Peter's Basilica for the Jubilee of Mercy, the newly renovated spaces of the Don Luigi Liegro Hostel were inaugurated today, on the premises made available by the Italian FS Group.
The inaugural event was attended by the President of the Lazio Region, Nicola Zingaretti; the Prefect of Rome, Franco Gabrielli; the CEO of the Italian FS Group, Renato Mazzoncini; Cardinal Agostino Vallini; the Secretary-General of the Italian Episcopal Conference, Nunzio Galatino and the Rome Diocese Director of Caritas, Monsignor Enrico Feroci.
Also present were the Managing Director of Enel Heart, Andrea Valcalda and the President of BNL, Luigi Abete.
At the inauguration of the spaces of the newly renovated Hostel, Caritas Diocesana and FS Italiane launched a new fundraising campaign "Questa porta non è mai chiusa" (This door is never closed) for the restoration and the purchase of new furniture for the hostel; the largest Italian reception centre reception run by Caritas of Rome, redesigned structurally and functionally to provide essential services, promoting the inclusion of disadvantaged people, especially through the creation of a new day-care centre. Thanks to a small contribution, the "Don Luigi Di Liegro" Caritas Hostel of Roma Termini will finally return to completely being a point of reference for those who live in conditions of hardship. From 6 December 2015 to 10 January 2016, solidarity will ride on our trains and be present in our stations: volunteers from among the FS Italiane Group's volunteers, along with Caritas volunteers, will involve our customers by requesting a donation of at least € 3.00 in exchange for a chocolate bar, a small gesture to give to those less fortunate than us the ability to resume a life of dignity. Alongside customer engagement on the trains, it will also be possible to give donations through the ticket office, Trenitalia's self - service ticket machines and the FRECCIAClub.
The Hostel, given on loan for free to Don Luigi di Liegro in 1987, officially opened on 02 June of that same year.
Conceived as a friendly and comfortable place to house the homeless over short periods of time, it was closed in 2010 to facilitate modernization of the structure, whose corner stone was placed by Pope Benedict XVI. The Hostel is staffed by professionals, social workers and volunteers.
Thanks to the interventions carried out, the hostel will provide 500 meals and accommodate up to 300 people, thus making it one of the largest and most modern (around the clock) shelters in Europe for the homeless.
The Don Luigi Di Liegro Hostel is a leg on the Jubilee of Mercy journey.
During today's ceremony the Holy Door of Charity was also exhibited, a mural painted above the entrance by artist Father Marko Ivan Rupnik, which Pope Francis will pass through the next 18 December.