On 17 May 2024, a new laundrette for the homeless was inaugurated in Catania. Pope Francis inspired the initiative and donated washing machines, dryers and showers to the facility located in the former Convent of Sant'Agostino in Via Vittorio Emanuele. It is designed to serve the poorest people and is run by the Community of Sant'Egidio.
During the ceremony, the Papal Almoner, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, emphasised the importance not to forget those who live in situations of conflict and poverty, and stressed that ‘indifference is the greatest sin of all’.
Emiliano Abramo, of the Community of Sant'Egidio Sicily, said: ‘Putting the poor at the centre and building networks of friendship around them is the recipe for building a more beautiful city and a more humane society.
Catania, affected by significant economic and educational poverty (school dropout rate reached 25.2% in 2022), can find in this laundry a practical service as well as a tangible sign of closeness and care for those on the margins.
