On Monday, Pope Francis became an ice cream man and had Rome charity workers give out 3,000 helpings of gelato to the homeless and needy as his gift to them for his name day.
As part of papal tradition, the Pope does not celebrate his actual birthday, but he celebrates the feast day of the saint he was named after. Monday is the feast of St. George and a noted holiday in the Vatican.
At least 3,000 ice creams would be given out to the homeless and needy in the shelters, soup kitchens, baths and health facilities in Rome run by Catholic charities according to the Vatican alms-giving office.
This is not the first time Pope Francis gave gifts to Rome's homeless. He had organized private tours in the Vatican Museum and a day out in the circus to some of Rome's homeless. Last year, as part of the celebrations for the first World Day of the Poor, the Pope held a special mass for 7,000 poor people in the Vatican and treated them to a gourmet lunch in the Vatican and in various pontifical universities in Rome.
