The gleaming colonnade of St. Peter's Square provides a majestic backdrop, as four men wait for a free dinner on a terrace in the heart of Vatican City on a balmy April evening.
The prestigious location is the envy of Rome's finest hotels. But the 19th century Palazzo Migliori is a homeless shelter, housed in a building the late Pope Francis dedicated to their care.
Francis, who died on Easter Monday, shunned much of the pomp and privilege of the papacy to try and make the Catholic Church more inclusive and less judgemental.
Known as the "slum bishop" in his native Buenos Aires because of his frequent visits to shanty towns, Francis made concern for the poor a major focus. He also asked that they play a prominent role in his funeral.
After he became pope in 2013, more tents and sleeping bags appeared in the evenings in the long shadows of St. Peter's Square, as tacit word of Francis' welcome to the homeless spread. Under his direction, the Vatican built new facilities like showers and a laundry to help them, and six years ago gave the palazzo, once used by nuns, to the Sant'Egidio lay community, which supports those on the margins.
"He has done so much for the poor. He met so many poor people, he opened the best building to give hospitality to all these who are on the street," said Antonino Siracusa, a former homeless man who works at the Sant'Egidio shelter.
Siracusa was among a group of homeless, migrants, prisoners and transgender individuals (confirmed?) who watched from the steps of the Basilica of St. Mary Major, Francis' chosen resting place far from the splendour of the Vatican, each holding a white rose.
"I was inside the gate with a flower in hand, waiting for Pope Francis' coffin to enter. When it entered, each of us placed a flower on it," said Siracusa.
During his 12-year papacy, Francis invited huge groups of over one thousand poor and homeless to eat with him. He asked that umbrellas forgotten by tourists in the Vatican museums be handed out to those on the streets. He had a Vatican post office turned into a health clinic for the poor, and distributed sleeping bags on his birthday.
"We're going to miss everything. He was a Pope who was doing so many things," said Siracusa.
THE NEXT POPE
With Francis' death nearly all Vatican officials automatically lose their positions apart from those in a handful of offices. One of those is the head of charity, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, a Pole.
He is well-known in Rome for having in 2019 climbed down a manhole to restore electricity to hundreds of homeless people living in an occupied building.
Cardinals will start their conclave next week to pick a new head of the 1.4-billion member Church. Among the leading contenders is Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who served as the Vatican's number-two official for most of Francis' 12-year papacy.
Another is 67-year-old Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle. From the Philippines, he is often called the "Asian Francis" because of his similar commitment to social justice.
"My hope is that the next pope will follow the same path as Pope Francis. That he will be as approachable," said Siracusa.
"Many say that that there will be a black pope. Many say let's hope he's Italian. I say, let's hope he's a good pope, that's enough," said Piro.
