CathNews New Zealand

Twice a week a black van full of volunteers leaves the Vatican and goes to one of Rome’s train stations to serve dinner to the poor.

Behind the wheel, a cardinal dressed in a simple grey shirt.

When the van returns to the Vatican after serving meals to approximately 300 homeless, migrants and others in need, the driver stops, opens a car window and greets the homeless that either sleep under the colonnade at St. Peter’s Square or walk towards a nearby dormitory.

Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the Papal Almoner, knows most of them by name.

Three years ago, Enzo Luciani was one of those sleeping under the colonnade.

He had a long beard and as he says, he was “stinky as everyone else before the pope built the showers for us here.”

That was before he met “Don Corrado” – the nickname given Krajewski – and after the years of a real “road to Damascus” moment, Luciani is the righthand man to the cardinal.

Originally from Naples, and having served several prison sentences in the past, Luciani now does everything from cooking for the cardinal and the poor that dine at his apartment every day to helping him out in packing the van with the dinners that are later served to the homeless.

During the June 28 consistory in which Krajewski was given his red hat, Francis said to the new cardinals: “None of us must feel ‘superior’ to anyone. None of us should look down at others from above. The only time we can look at a person in this way is when we are helping them to stand up.”

Paulina Guzik spoke to Luciani about his life and work with the papal almoner.

Guzik : How did it happen that you got out from a life on the street? Who helped you?

Luciani: It’s thanks to Don Corrado, who had a certain amount of trust in me.

I have enough criminal records – many really – so you know, “people in the ties,” the so-called “good people” (that are, by the way, a lot of times lost themselves) – they never trust you! But Don Corrado is a man of Christ and this is his role – putting trust in the poorest children of God.

So he gave me a second chance.

A lot of people were telling him: “but you know, his past…”

And he always cut them off by saying: “I know, I know.”

It’s been three years, and thank God, we are winning together. Continue reading

• Image: Crux

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News category: Features.