The Vatican Opens Free Laundromat for the Poor

Those living in poverty in Rome will still be able to have clean clothes. Pope Francis has opened a free laundromat for the poor in the city, the Vatican announced Monday. It currently has six washing machines, six dryers, and some irons donated by Whirlpool; Proctor and Gamble is donating laundry detergent and fabric softener. Within a few months, showers, a barbershop, and medical services will also be installed at the same location, an old hospital complex in a neighborhood near the Vatican. The Vatican, which opened a similar facility for the poor in another neighborhood two years ago, says it wants to "restore dignity" to "brothers and sisters" living in poverty, CNN reports. (More Pope Francis stories.)