Pope Francis just opened a laundromat for exactly the people who need it most.

Pope Francis has just done something unexpected and opened a laundromat. The Pope is a busy international leader who's schedule is always hectic. But in the midst of everything he does, he opened a laundromat near the Vatican. This is something you wouldn't expect from a pope, but on April 11, 2017, the pope opened a new six-washer-and-dryer laundromat close to the Vatican, this according to the Associated Press. And while it might seem a little out of the ordinary, his intentions are nothing but kind. The services at this new laundromat are free, and the whole operation is meant to help the homeless. Clean laundry might not seem like much, but for the people who can't afford it, it's more than a big deal, until you don't have any. Clean clothes can go a long way in making someone feel good about themselves. People who are homeless already face a lot of challenges; they can have limited access to health care, many have mental health problems or are running away from an abusive situation.

Clean clothes might not seem like a big deal to most people, but they are important. It's also about dignity; it's about something as simple as other people treating you like a human being. Clean clothes are important. When you've fought to finally get a job interview, clean clothes can go a long way into making you feel human again and feeling good about yourself. This is why Pope Francis' is a wonderful gesture that can make a huge difference in people's lives. The laundromat is just the latest in a long line of services that the pope has opened for the homeless. Some of the services include a barber shop, a dormitory, and showers. Not everyone agrees about the church, but these kind gestures to help the homeless, show that Pope Francis does seem to care about everyone, including the most vulnerable.

Pope Francis was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Bergoglio worked briefly as a chemical technologist and a nightclub bouncer before beginning seminary studies. Bergoglio was then ordained a Catholic priest in 1969, and from 1973 to 1979 he was Argentina's Provincial superior of the Society of Jesus. Bergoglio became the Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and was created a cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II. He then led the Argentine Church during the December 2001 riots in Argentina, and the administrations of N�stor Kirchner and Cristina Fern�ndez de Kirchner considered Bergoglio a political rival. Following the resignation of the Pope Benedict XVI on 28 February 2013, a papal conclave then elected Bergoglio as his successor on 13 March 2013. While Bergoglio has said that the greatest poverty is that of the lack of Christ and that the only one real kind of poverty is "not living as children of God and brothers and sisters in Christ."

Pope Francis has also been very outspoken against that of material poverty. At a meeting of Latin American bishops in 2007, he said that, despite the economic growth, poverty had not been reduced in the continent, and he asked for a better income distribution. On 30 September 2009, he spoke at a conference organized by the Argentina City Postgraduate School at the Alvear Palace Hotel in which he quoted the 1992 "Documento de Santo Domingo saying that "extreme poverty and unjust economic structures that cause great inequalities" are violations of basic human rights. Pope Francis went on to describe social debt as immoral, illegitimate and unjust. This is just one of the trending news stories you will find on the Upworthy site. On the site, you will find trending videos, trending news, new trends, culture, real life and more **