Another issue is expected to divide the conservative cardinals on one side and the pro-poor and liberal-minded, such as Pope Francis, on the other side. The issue is the construction of three showers inside the refurbished public restrooms on Vatican Square.

The showers, which are planned to be located inside public restrooms used by Catholic visitors to the Holy See, are being built for the use of homeless people. It is a joint initiative of the pontiff and Archbishop Konrad Krajewski, the distributor of the pope's alms or money for charitable purposes, reports The Washington Post.

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Fr. Ciro Benedettini, deputy spokesman of Vatican, said the construction would start on Nov. 17.

The showers are very near the white massive columns of St. Peter's Square, also called Vatican Square, and just under the expensive papal palace where previous pontiffs lived, but Pope Francis eschewed in favor of more modest accommodations.

Krajewski, a Polish clergy, broached the idea of building the showers to Pope Francis after meeting a homeless man in October, named Franco from Sardinia. He then invited Franco to dinner when he learned it was the man's 50th birthday. Krajewski met Franco while walking along Vila della Conciliazione after hearing confessions at the nearby Church of the Holy Spirit.

Franco, who has been living on the streets for 10 years, expressed apprehension at accepting the invitation because he was embarrassed of his smell due to lack of wash facilities in Vatican, reports La Stampa.

The homeless man accepted the invitation and while enjoying a Chinese meal, Krajowski found that homeless people in Rome do not go hungry. However, they find it difficult to maintain personal hygiene because of lack of wash and shower facilities.

Besides the three showers in Vatican, Pope Francis is also paying for the construction of showers in 10 parishes in Rome, disclosed Krajewski who admitted that giving away sandwiches to the poor is an easier an act of charity than operating shower facilities, which also need volunteers, towels, and undergarments. The homeless could also wash their clothes in the public restrooms.

Others have also pitched in the project. Andrea Bocelli, the famous Italian tenor, donated a substantial amount of money, while a construction company volunteered to build the showers.

Soon, the homeless in Vatican would get free haircuts as Krajweski has also asked a local school that teaches hairdressing to provide free trims to homeless pilgrims.

Krajewki is aware that some ultra conservative cardinals or uber rich tourists would criticize the project, but he insisted on moving forward with the plan.

"The Basilica exists in order to keep the Body of Christ, and we serve Jesus's suffering the body by serving the poor," he said.

His concept of the Body of Christ includes the physical bodies of the homeless, and the water that would flow from the new showers would be Krajowski and Pope Francis' way of showering God's love and blessings on the "least of His brethren."