Berlin – Rome: Duschmobiltour 2026

Before Pentecost, starting on 15 May 2026, we at Sozialdienst kath. Frauen e. V. Berlin (SkF Berlin) are setting off on a special trip: the Duschmobil, mobile shower unit for women and the Seifenbüchse for homeless children and young people will make a pilgrimage from Berlin to Rome. Our destination is St Peter’s Square.

Berlin – Rome: Duschmobiltour 2026

Before Pentecost, starting on 15 May 2026, we at Sozialdienst kath. Frauen e. V. Berlin (SkF Berlin) are setting off on a special trip: the Duschmobil, mobile shower unit for women and the Seifenbüchse for homeless children and young people will make a pilgrimage from Berlin to Rome. Our destination is St Peter’s Square.
Skf Logo Kurz 1

#roadtorome4home

All roads lead to Rome.
We are on the road with two mobile shower units for people who are homeless.

Homelessness knows no boundaries – and neither does our solidarity with people who are homeless.

www.duschmobil.berlin
Logo Seifenbuechse
www.seifenbuechse.berlin

The idea

The impulse for the trip first came up back in 2021 when Archbishop Heiner Koch, together with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Apostolic Nuncio Dr Nikola Eterovic, visited the city mission at Ostbahnhof and our Duschmobil (mobile shower unit). We still have vivid memories of that visit – as well as the appreciation for the work our team carries out on the streets every day.

With this journey, we want to send a clear message: homelessness is not an inescapable fate. Help is on its way – right where the people are: on the streets.

The Duschmobil for women and the Seifenbüchse are there to symbolize exactly that. On their journey to Rome, they carry the message that supporting homeless people remains a concern for society as a whole if the EU-wide goal of ending homelessness by 2030 is to become a reality.

That was #roadtorome4home 2026 🚐💨

Eight days, over 1,600 kilometres, countless inspiring moments: from 15 to 22 May, we toured from Berlin to Rome with the Duschmobil and Seifenbüchse. Together, we raised awareness of the often invisible housing crisis faced by women, young people and children.

Thanks to the generous support of Kneipp and Pax Bank, we were able to demonstrate how strong networks and direct assistance on the streets can change lives.

The highlights were the general audience with Pope Leo XIV and the solemn blessing of the vans in the Italian capital by Archbishop Dr Heiner Koch and Cardinal Secretary of State Parolin.

Today we are on our way to Arezzo, from where we will travel to Berlin tomorrow. We are full of wonderful memories and have plenty to talk about on the journey – it was unforgettable!

Feel free to click through the full tour report 😊

What a moving day in the Eternal City!

General Audience with Papst Leo XIV—with a special mention of SkF Berlin—followed by the blessing of the two mobile units by Archbishop Dr. Heiner Koch, and finally, soaking up the beauty of Rome.

It will take us a while to fully process everything we experienced and saw today—we are deeply moved! Today, the Road to Rome 4 Home reached its climax.
At 10:00 a.m., we were able to be right up front at the general audience with Papst Leo XIV—together with our Archbishop Dr. Heiner Koch. An absolute goosebump moment: We were even greeted by name!

The next major event followed at 4:00 p.m.: Archbishop Dr. Heiner Koch, together with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, blessed the mobile shower unit for women as well as the soap dispenser for children and young people. Through this blessing, they powerfully draw attention to the living conditions of homeless people.
“Homelessness knows no boundaries.” Under this motto, we traveled to Rome. We carried our message to the heart of the Vatican and to the people we met. Now we are full of hope and enthusiasm to continue our work and alleviate the housing crisis wherever we encounter it.

DEPARTURE

Friday, 15 May 2026

492 km

Travelling time
(approx. 7 hours)

WÜRZBURG

Saturday, 16 May 2026

110 km

Travelling Time
(approx. 1,5 hours)

NUREMBERG

Sunday, 17 May 2026

171 km

Travelling Time
(approx. 2,5 hours)

MUNICH

Monday, 18 May 2026

407 km

Travelling Time
(approx. 6,5 hours)

LAKE GARDA

Monday, 18 May 2026

602 km

Travelling Time
(approx. 7 hours)

ROMA

Wednesday, 20 May 2026

ROMA

Thursday, 21. May 2026

222 km

Travelling Time
(approx. 3,5 hours)

RETURN TRIP

Departure: 21 May 2026

Arrival: 23 May 2026

BERLIN

703 km

Travelling Time
(approx. 10,5 hours)

699 km

Travelling Time
(approx. 9,5 hours)

© Photo credits

pxhere.com / creativecommons.org

https://pxhere.com/de/photo/828069
https://pxhere.com/de/photo/240613
https://pxhere.com/de/photo/1048033
https://pxhere.com/de/photo/819872
https://pxhere.com/de/photo/598926

https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

magnific.com
wide-angle-shot-lake-surrounded-by-trees-mountains.jpg
empty-highway-surrounded-by-hills-cloudy-sunset-sky.jpg
antique-medieval-town-with-old-gate-bridge.jpg

Designed by Magnific
magnific.com

Contact | SkF e.V. Berlin
Office
Schönhauser Str. 41
13158 Berlin

Phone +49(0) 30 477 532-0
Fax +49(0) 30 477 532-705

www.skf-berlin.de