“No cell is so isolated that it is shut to the Lord. His love reaches everywhere. I pray that each one may open his heart to this love.”
Papal Tweet (Pope Francis, November 6, 2016 – Jubilee of Prisoners)
Pope Francis greets prisoners at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility in Philadelphia (CNS photo)
“Today we celebrate the Jubilee of Mercy for you and with you, our brothers and sisters who are imprisoned. Mercy, as the expression of God’s love, is something we need to think about more deeply. Certainly, breaking the law involves paying the price, and losing one’s freedom is the worst part of serving time, because it affects us so deeply. All the same, hope must not falter. Paying for the wrong we have done is one thing, but another thing entirely is the “breath” of hope, which cannot be stifled by anyone or anything. Our heart always yearns for goodness.”
Pope Francis (Homily for the Jubilee of Prisoners, November 6, 2016)
Pope Francis stares at a statue of the Holy Mary as he celebrates the Holy Mass for the Jubilee of inmates, at St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
LINKS
Pope’s homily for Jubilee of Prisoners (News.va)
Angelus: Pope appeals for better prison living conditions (Vatican Radio)
Pope asks authorities to grant clemency for prisoners during Jubilee (CNA)
At Jubilee Mass for Prisoners, Pope Francis Calls for a Criminal Justice System that Gives Hope (America)
Pope Francis blesses a prisoner as he visits the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility in Philadelphia (CNS photo/Paul Haring) Sept. 27, 2015.
Pope Francis receives a cross made by an inmate at the CeReSo n. 3 prison in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Feb. 17, 2016. Credit: L’Osservatore Romano.