Pope Francis rents private beach for 'disabled'

New York: His Holiness Pope Francis has rented a private beach near Rome in order to help a charity group people with disabilities enjoy the sea and sands.

The group 'Work of Love' has rented a portion of the Little Madonna beach since 2012 and has set up boardwalks, ramps and water vehicles to provide access to those in wheelchairs and are also battling other problems which make it difficult to spend the day at a beach.

Monseigneur Konrad Krajewski, the papal almoner, told CNN that the Pope Francis gave the charity an undisclosed sum to "support the project that helps disabled youth and in particular to cover the cost of the annual rent for the beach known as the Little Madonna."

The charity group was more than thrilled to have received the news of the donation with "enthusiasm and astonishment." The Rev. Massimo Consolaro, the priest in charge of the group, told CNN that hundreds of people with disabilities use the beach every year, and the numbers are rising.

Work of Love created the space -- about 17 miles south of Rome -- to be a "beach without architectural or mental barriers, where everyone can enjoy the sea together," the group said on its website.