Pope offers gelato to Rome's neediest to mark feast day

VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope Francis is offering up 3,000 servings of gelato to Rome's neediest.

Francis, who was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, funded the special dessert Monday for guests at Rome soup kitchens and shelters to celebrate his name day, the Catholic feast day of St. George, or San Jorge.

Francis is known to have a sweet tooth, particularly for the caramel dulce de leche specialty of his native Argentina.

At one soup kitchen run by the Vatican's Caritas charity, a container of vanilla and chocolate gelato was served alongside a lunch of pasta to guests.

Francis has made a point of taking care of Rome's poor and homeless, inviting them to occasional lunches, concerts and museum visits at the Vatican, and providing them with sleeping bags, free showers, barbers and laundry services.