Mons L. Pisanello
VATICAN CITY – Taking a cue from small town in Sicily (the ball Italy’s boot) where adopting a four-legged friend will bring tax benefits to residents of a town Mascalucia, Pope Francis’s launched on Monday the Vatican program to give homeless men and women in Rome for a shower and shave.
The freebie only appllies to the indigent of Rome for the Vatican to get the tax benefit.
In an interview with La Stampa, the Pope said that the Vatican found itself with a serious tax problem after finding some hundreds of millions of dollars in a Vatican basement.
Italy’s tax department has been pushing to get its share of the booty, to boost its fiscal problems. But the Vatican isn’t willing to share. A source within the Papacy said, “it is ours and not belonging to the Italian state.”
The showers will be open every day except for Wednesday and weekends. Bathers, however, have to supply their own soap, shampoo and a towel. A Vatican spokesman said, “we supply the water and the space, the least they could do is bring the soap.”
Haircuts are on offered every other Monday, but not when the Monday is a religious holiday. Failing students at local hairdressing schools have been recruited, that, with the influence of the Vatican will be able to shore up their grades in return for their services.
