Group of homeless people from Croatia attend papal audience

By Sr. Nina Benedikta Krapić, VMZ

On the occasion of 15th anniversary “Street Lamps” (Ulične svjetiljke), a magazine that raises money for homeless people, 54 vendors, volunteers and collaborators of the magazine visited Rome.

The group is connected to the "Roses of St. Francis” homeless shelter in Rijeka and the Caritas office in Sesvetski Kraljevac, and attended the Wednesday General Audience.

After the papal audience, Father Siniša Pucić, who accompanied the group, spoke to Vatican News about the experience and the pilgrimage.

“We are here to thank God, thank Him for every blessing we have had in these 15 years,” he said. “People will remember this experience for life.”

‘Street Lamps’ magazine

Before his ordination, Franciscan Fr. Pucić was a journalist and an active member of the Secular Franciscan Order of Rijeka - Trsat, which founded the "Roses of St. Francis" (Ruže sv. Franje) shelter for Rijeka's homeless. It was Fr. Pucić who launched the idea of the “Street Lamps” magazine.

The project aims to end homelessness providing housing to people with funds raised from the sale of the magazine.

“After we founded the shelter for homeless in Rijeka, we founded this magazine so homeless people can sell it and collect money to live on,” he explained, “so they can live outside the shelter, as normal people, as people with dignity, like every other human being.”

From the city of Rijeka, the "Street Lamp" magazine project has expanded to the streets of Zagreb, Zadar, Pula and Varaždin.

Fr. Pucić holds up the project as a good example of how to combat homelessness by offering opportunities and agency to people living on the streets.

“About 65% of our homeless people now have a normal life. Now they are not into alcohol, drugs, or gambling. Now they are normal people, thanks to God and thanks to a lot of volunteers who are participating in this project,” said Fr. Pucić .

Changing the image of the homeless

Street Lamps is written by numerous authors, all volunteers, many of whom are homeless. The magazine offers them a platform for authentic storytelling.

It also offers a chance to change the narrative on the image of homelessness in Croatian society.

“They are not people who can only sell the magazine. They also write. They write about their experience in the selling and they are writing about their lives,” said Fr. Pucić. “A lot of people who buy this magazine now have a new idea about homelessness and homeless people.”

Enlightening experience

Robert is one of the homeless people who came to Rome on the pilgrimage. He shared that before he became homeless, he worked as a translator from English into Croatian, translating books and movies.

“This journey gave us some more strength, and it was really inspiring to see the Holy Father, hear the messages that he offered us,” Robert told Vatican News. “In a way we are enlightened. It was a beautiful experience.”

For the past three months, Robert has been living in the Roses of St. Francis Shelter in Rijeka.

“I hope to get soon out of my situation,” he said. “I like it very much being here, so I hope to come here in maybe a year or two again, but as a normal person, not as a homeless anymore.”

Mr. Robert and friends in Vatican

From broken bone to homelessness

Robert shared his story on homelessness with Vatican News.

“I had a rented room in the city of Rijeka, and I had an accident. I broke a bone in my right foot. I was unable to look for a seasonal job. I worked as a receptionist for so many tourist seasons, and I wasn't able to pay the rent anymore,” he explained.

He looked for help at the social welfare centre. “I said I need to go on the street so they addressed me to the Shelter, but I'm still actively looking for a job and I hope to find one in the very near future.”

Robert is a graphic designer. He also worked for many years in a pre-press business, so he is happy to have an opportunity to play a professional role in the “Street Lamps” magazine now.

“I'm pretty sure that this journey, this experience today will give me some more strength to even more engage myself in finding a new job and getting out of the Shelter, and living as a normal person very soon,” concluded Robert.