Pope at Jubilee for prisons: ‘Let no one be lost’

In front of 6,000 prisoners, family members, and prison workers from around the world, the pontiff renewed his call for all countries to grant amnesty for the Holy Year.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - “Let no one be lost! Let everyone be saved! This is what our God wants, this is his Kingdom, this is what he aims for in his actions in the world," urged Pope Leothis morning as he presided over the Jubilee for the prison world in St. Peter's Basilica, the last major event on the Holy Year calendar.

He did so by recalling the gesture of Pope Francis, who, on December 26 last year, wanted to open the first Holy Door after that of St. Peter's Basilica in the Roman prison of Rebibbia.

From Friday until today, some 6,000 pilgrims from 90 countries have arrived in Rome, all connected in various ways to this world: prisoners, family members, prison workers, police officers, and prison administrators.

The largest groups from Asia came from Indonesia, the Philippines, and Taiwan. Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass with them on what the Church calls “Gaudete Sunday,” which, with its pink liturgical vestments, recalls the joyful anticipation of Jesus' coming: the confidence that something beautiful and joyful is about to happen.

At the Angelus, the Pope recalled how this message of hope is entrusted by the liturgy to John the Baptist, who is in prison: “He does not lose hope, becoming for us a sign that prophecy, even in chains, remains a free voice in search of truth and justice.”

In his homily during Mass, Prevost recalled the words of his predecessor who, almost a year ago in Rebibbia, urged us “to be, with a generous heart, workers of justice and charity in the environments in which we live.”

" As the Jubilee Year draws to a close,“ Leone XIV commented frankly, ”we must recognize that, despite the efforts of many, there is still much to be done in this direction, even in the prison world. Many still do not understand that one must be able to get up after every fall, that no human being is defined by what he or she has done, and that justice is always a process of reparation and reconciliation."

“However, when, even in difficult conditions, we preserve the beauty of feelings, sensitivity, attention to the needs of others, respect, and the capacity for mercy and forgiveness,” he added, "then wonderful flowers bloom from the hard ground of suffering and sin, and even within prison walls, gestures, projects, and encounters unique in their humanity mature. This is work on one's feelings and thoughts that is necessary for people deprived of their freedom, but even more so for those who have the great responsibility of representing justice to them and for them. The Jubilee is a call to conversion and, as such, is a source of hope and joy."

In this context, Leo XIV recalled that in the bull of indiction of the Jubilee, “Spes non confundit,” Pope Francis also called for “forms of amnesty or remission of punishment aimed at helping people regain confidence in themselves and in society.” “I trust that many countries will follow up on his wish,” he commented.

There are many problems to be addressed in prisons. “Think of overcrowding, the still insufficient commitment to ensuring stable educational programs for rehabilitation and job opportunities,” Prevost listed. And let's not forget, on a more personal level, the weight of the past, the wounds to be healed in the body and heart, the disappointments, the infinite patience required, with oneself and with others, when embarking on paths of conversion, and the temptation to give up or to no longer forgive. The Lord, however, beyond all this, continues to repeat to us that only one thing is important: that no one be lost and that all be saved."

An important sign of this was evident in the Jubilee celebration itself: the hosts used for Mass were donated by the Casa dello Spirito e delle Arti Foundation through the project “Il senso del Pane” (The Meaning of Bread), which since 2016 has involved more than 300 prisoners each year in the production of hosts for more than 15,000 churches around the world.