Pope Francis is visiting Venice today and, as a first stop, he has chosen to greet the inmates - around eighty - of the Giudecca prison. Together with him is the patriarch of the city, Francesco Moraglia.
"Prison is a harsh reality, and problems such as overcrowding, the lack of structures and resources, episodes of violence generate a lot of suffering there", said the pontiff, inviting us "not to take away the dignity of anyone". Prison «can also become a place of rebirth, moral and material, in which the dignity of women and men is not “put in isolation”, but promoted through mutual respect and care of talents and abilities».
Pope Francis, addressing the prisoners, underlined: «I wanted to meet you at the beginning of my visit to Venice to tell you that you have a special place in my heart. I would therefore like us to experience this moment not so much as an "official visit" of the Pope, but as a meeting in which, by the grace of God, we give each other time, prayer, closeness and fraternal affection. Today we will all emerge richer from this courtyard, perhaps the one who will emerge richer will be me, and the good that we will exchange will be precious". forgiven who bring forgiveness, reborn who bring rebirth. Dear friends, let us renew today, you and I, together, our faith in the future."
(Unioneonline/ss)