Police in Rome, Italy melted the hearts of people from around the world this week after they offered up a plate of pasta to an elderly couple, whose cries of loneliness were so dire that it alarmed the neighbours.
It all started when police thought they were responding to a typical distress call and showed up to an apartment on Aug. 2. An elderly couple was crying so loudly that a neighbour called police. They soon discovered that Jole, 84, and her husband Michele 94, whose last names were not released, were “really lonely.”
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The couple, which have been married for nearly 70 years explained to police they were fine, but that the loneliness was getting to them because they don’t receive many visitors.
They were also watching the news and were shocked by some of the horrors happening around the world.
“The attacks and abused children in kindergarten…Jole wonders why there is so much evil,” the Rome police wrote on Facebook in Italian.
“Life isn’t easy. Especially when the city empties and the neighbours are away on holiday. Sometimes loneliness dissolves into tears.”
The police officers were so moved by the couple they decided to spend some time with them and hear their stories.
After calling in paramedics to double check the couple’s health was in order, the officers – identified by police as Andrea, Alessandro, Ernesto and Mirko – made a plate of pasta with butter and cheese.
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“There is no crime. Jole and Michele are not victims of scams and no thief entered the house – there is no one to save,” Police wrote on Facebook.
“This time, for the boys, there is a more daunting task – two lonely souls who need reassuring. Just a little human warmth will restore tranquility to Jole and Michele.”
The photo of the elderly couple along with their story was posted to Facebook by the Rome police on Aug. 3, and has since been shared more than 70,000 times. As one commenter wrote:
“You have just won the hearts of millions around the world. Thank you for showing compassion to the elderly. No one should have to live in solitude and loneliness.”
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