Vatican City, Nov 11, 2016 / 10:29 am
After hearing testimonies from two homeless men Friday, Pope Francis spoke off-the-cuff about the dignity and solidarity that can be found in poverty, but which is often lacking in situations of wealth.
"We must always look for those poorer than I" and seek to increase solidarity by "giving the hand to the one suffering more than me," the Pope said.
"The ability to have solidarity is one of the fruits that poverty gives us. When there is a lot of richness, one forgets this solidarity," he said, thanking the homeless for being "the example of this hand a sign of solidarity for the world."
Pope Francis spoke to a group of around 3,600 people in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall Nov. 11. Of those present, most were from precarious situations such as extreme poverty and homelessness who traveled to Rome as part of the European Festival of Joy and Mercy being held Nov. 11-13 in the context of the Jubilee of Mercy.