Looking out over St Peter's Square where icicles hung from usually bubbling fountains, Pope Francis prayed for the homeless.
The freeze in Rome, subzero temperatures in large parts of Europe and heavy snowfalls in many areas in early January forced the closure of roads and schools and were blamed for at least a dozen deaths.
"In these very cold days, I think and I invite you to think of the people who live on the streets, struck by the cold and, many times, by indifference," Pope Francis told people in St Peter's Square on January 8.
