Pope prays for Nigerian homeless man found dead near St. Peter’s

After praying the Angelus on Sunday, Pope Francis paused for a moment to pray for Edwin, a Nigerian homeless man left to die alone on a cold Roman night. “On 20 January, just a few meters from St. Peter’s Square, a Nigerian homeless man named Edwin was found dead from the cold,” said the Pope. “His plight is similar to that of many other homeless people who have died recently in Rome under the same dramatic circumstances.” The Pope then invited everyone to pray for Edwin, and paused for a few seconds in prayer. He said 46-year-old Edwin was ignored by all. “He was abandoned, by us as well,” said Pope Francis. “Let us pray for him.” The Pope then recalled a story from the papacy of St. Gregory the Great. When he witnessed the death of a beggar in the cold, the 6th century Pope ordered that all Masses be suspended for a whole day, “because it was as Good Friday