Pope Francis has opened a barber shop for homeless people in St Peter’s Square. The state-of-the-art facility offers free haircuts, shaves and showers to Rome’s down-and-outs. The salon service, paid for by donations and the sale of papal blessings, was the idea of the Pope’s chief alms-giver, Monsignor Konrad Krajewski. Pope Francis, pictured, has allowed a barber shop for the homeless of Rome to open  in St Peter's Square . He was moved to act after a homeless man turned down an invitation to dinner at the Vatican because he was embarrassed about his smell. Yesterday – the barber shop’s first day – more than 40 people turned up to have their locks trimmed by volunteer stylists. One of them, Arianna Corsi, said: ‘We don’t want to just go over them with clippers. ‘We want them to give them the full salon treatment. If they want a high quiff or a trendy goatee we will try to make them happy. ’ Each ‘homeless pilgrim’ received a kit including a towel, change of underwear, soap, deodorant, toothpaste, razor and shaving cream. Robert Kokot, a homeless man from Poland, poses before, left, and after, right, having a shave in the 'Pope's barber shop' yesterday . Barbara, 47, from Chelm in Poland, who is living in a tent on the outskirts of the capital after losing her job as a cleaner, said she can usually only get access to a shower once a week. ‘The service very modern and clean, and everything is provided. This pope is very kind. He is not as good as John Paul II, who was our Polish pope, but he is not bad at all.’ Claudio, a former builder who said he had been living on the street for a year, had his hair cut for the first time since losing his job. He greeted his new look as ‘miraculous’ and said that he felt ’20 years younger’. Gregorio, a Polish homeless man living near Vatican City, kisses a portrait of Pope Francis after receiving a free haircut by barbers . Mauro Casubolo poses for a picture as he leaves the Vatican barbershop in the Rome yesterday . The barbers did not wear any masks or special equipment, Miss Corsi explained said. ‘It is not as if we are being asked to work in Chernobyl. Mother Teresa did much more that us without any protection.’ All the equipment including razors hairbrushes, mirrors and an authentic barber’ s chair has been donated by a local hairdressing college. The barber shop is the latest in a series of initiatives by the pope for the homeless in Rome. Last month he donated 300 umbrellas from the Sistine Chapel’s lost-and-found to those living on the street and at Christmas he ordered that 400 sleeping bags be handed out.
State-of-the-art facility is offering free haircuts and showers to homeless .
The salon service is paid for by donations and the sale of papal blessings .
Was the idea of the Pontiff's chief alms-giver Monsignor Konrad Krajewski .
More than 40 people turned up for a haircut on the first day of operation .
Pope Francis has opened a barber shop for homeless people in St Peter’s Square. The state-of-the-art facility offers free haircuts, shaves and showers to Rome’s down-and-outs. The salon service, paid for by donations and the sale of papal blessings, was the idea of the Pope’s chief alms-giver, Monsignor Konrad Krajewski. Pope Francis, pictured, has allowed a barber shop for the homeless of Rome to open  in St Peter's Square . He was moved to act after a homeless man turned down an invitation to dinner at the Vatican because he was embarrassed about his smell. Yesterday – the barber shop’s first day – more than 40 people turned up to have their locks trimmed by volunteer stylists. One of them, Arianna Corsi, said: ‘We don’t want to just go over them with clippers. ‘We want them to give them the full salon treatment. If they want a high quiff or a trendy goatee we will try to make them happy. ’ Each ‘homeless pilgrim’ received a kit including a towel, change of underwear, soap, deodorant, toothpaste, razor and shaving cream. Robert Kokot, a homeless man from Poland, poses before, left, and after, right, having a shave in the 'Pope's barber shop' yesterday . Barbara, 47, from Chelm in Poland, who is living in a tent on the outskirts of the capital after losing her job as a cleaner, said she can usually only get access to a shower once a week. ‘The service very modern and clean, and everything is provided. This pope is very kind. He is not as good as John Paul II, who was our Polish pope, but he is not bad at all.’ Claudio, a former builder who said he had been living on the street for a year, had his hair cut for the first time since losing his job. He greeted his new look as ‘miraculous’ and said that he felt ’20 years younger’. Gregorio, a Polish homeless man living near Vatican City, kisses a portrait of Pope Francis after receiving a free haircut by barbers . Mauro Casubolo poses for a picture as he leaves the Vatican barbershop in the Rome yesterday . The barbers did not wear any masks or special equipment, Miss Corsi explained said. ‘It is not as if we are being asked to work in Chernobyl. Mother Teresa did much more that us without any protection.’ All the equipment including razors hairbrushes, mirrors and an authentic barber’ s chair has been donated by a local hairdressing college. The barber shop is the latest in a series of initiatives by the pope for the homeless in Rome. Last month he donated 300 umbrellas from the Sistine Chapel’s lost-and-found to those living on the street and at Christmas he ordered that 400 sleeping bags be handed out.
facility offers free haircuts, shaves and showers to Rome’s down-and-outs. The salon service, paid for by donations and the sale of papal blessings, was the idea of the Pope’s chief alms-giver, Monsignor Konrad Krajewski. Pope Francis, than 40 people turned up to have their locks