Francis: “Empty convents are of no use to the Church. Let the refugees in”

“Empty convents are not for the Church to transform into hotels and make money from them. Empty convents are not ours, they are for the flesh of Christ: refugees,” the Pope said lifting his eyes from his script during his visit to Centro Astalli, a refugee centre in the heart of Rome, which offers shelter, food and assistance to undocumented migrants. The centre has been assisting refugees who come to Italy fleeing wars, violence and torture for over thirty years.


This visit was important for Francis as it follows on in a way from his trip to the southern Italian island of Lampedusa: it is traditional for the Bishop of Rome to show special attention to the poor and persecuted. Francis arrived at the refugee centre at 15:25, in a blue Ford Focus, with no escorts and no secretary. He greeted many refugees outside Centro Astalli as they waited for their meals. He then approached those who were already in the refectory eating and stopped to talk to a group of about 20 refugees. He listened to some heartbreaking stories. One of the people he spoke to was Carol, from Syria. After listening to her story, the Pope picked up on what she had said and affirmed that integration was indeed “a right”.


After a brief moment of prayer in the Centro Astalli chapel and after greeting all the members of staff – Francis was even offered some mate – the Pope moved on to the nearby Church of the Gesù , where he met with 250 volunteers who worked in four shelters run by the Jesuit Refugee Service.


“What does it mean to serve? Service means welcoming a person who arrives and showing them attention; it means stretching a helping hand out to those who need it, without hesitations, without fear, but showing tenderness and understanding, just as Jesus bent down to wash the feet of the apostles.”


“Serving means working alongside the needy, establishing human relationships and close ties of solidarity with them,” the Pope said. Solidarity “is a word that scares the developed world.” People try not to use it. It’s as if it were a swear word to them. But it is our Word! Serving means recognising and embracing justice and hope and looking for concrete roads and paths to freedom.”


“It is important for the whole Church not to just leave it up to the “specialists” to welcome the poor and promote justice. The poor need to be taken into account in the Church’s pastoral care programmes, in the training courses of future priests and monks, in the daily actions of all parishes, movements and ecclesial groups.


Francis sent out a strong message to religious congregations not to leave convents empty. “I would like above all – and I say this from the bottom of my heart – to invite religious Institutes as well, to take this sign of the times very seriously and act responsibly. The Lord calls us to show greater courage and generosity in welcoming others into our communities, homes, empty convents…”


“Dear men and women religious, “empty convents are not for the Church to transform into hotels and make money from them. Empty convents are not ours, they are for the flesh of Christ: refugees. The Lord calls us to be generous and courageous in welcoming people into empty convents. Of course this is no simple task; discernment and responsibility are required; but courage is also needed. We do a great deal; perhaps we are called to do more, by welcoming and sharing what Providence has given us to serve others, with determination.



“The temptation of spiritual worldliness must be overcome in order for us to get closer to simple people, especially the poor. We need communities to show solidarity and love in a concrete way! So many people, especially young people, queue up at this and other centres to get a hot meal. These people remind us of humanity’s suffering and hardship. But that queue also tells us that it’s possible for all of us to do something now. All it takes is to knock at a person’s door and try to say to them: “I’m here. Can I lend you a hand?”


At the end of his visit, the Pope accompanied a family of refugees to lay some flowers at the tomb of the Jesuit Father General, Pedro Arrupe.