Pope Francis foots the bill for homeless people in Rome to visit Shroud of Turin

Washington: Pope Francis recently paid for Rome`s homeless so that they could visit the Shroud of Turin.

The 78-year-old, who has made helping the poor and downtrodden a hallmark of his papacy, has reportedly footed the bill for two busloads of homeless people to visit the famed Shroud of Turin in advance of his own trip to see the artifact many believe to be Jesus Christ`s sacred burial cloth, People Magazine reported.

The pontiff paid for 42 people who frequent a soup kitchen run by a parish near the Vatican to board a bus bound for Turin.