Pope lunches with poor

(December 28, 2009) Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday, made a short trip to Rome’s Trastevere quarter, where he had lunch with the poor and refugees at a soup kitchen run by the Rome-based lay Catholic group, Sant'Egidio Community. There, he shared lasagna, meatballs with lentils and mashed potatoes with the poor and later gave Christmas presents to about 30 children. Sant'Egidio Community said that among those sitting at the Pope’s table were a 34-year old homeless Afghan refugee; a 35-year-old Nigerian who arrived in Italy four years ago after a gruelling travel across the Libyan desert; a 63-old Somali woman who came to Italy to give her disabled son better care; and a 90-year-old Italian who receives food from the community. The pontiff said he heard tales of human suffering during the meal but told the poor and homeless that he was close to them and loved them. The Holy Father waded among the crowd greeting well-wishers, kissing some children and caressing the hands of some. The Pope has kept up his Christmastide schedule despite the incident at the start of Christmas Eve Mass in St.Peter's Basilica on Thursday night, in which a woman jumped the barricade and pulled him down to the ground as she was tackled by guards. Unruffled, the Holy Father got up quickly and celebrated the Mass.