Pope Francis close to the prisoners until the end

Where no one or almost looks, the prison, Pope Francis Instead, he has always turned his attention, trying when possible to be present in first person. It is therefore not surprising that his last concrete act has been addressed to those who are serving their sentence behind the bars.

As revealed in an interview a Republic by Monsignor Benoni Ambarus, bishop delegated to prisons and auxiliary of Rome, The pontiff before dying donated 200,000 euros to prisonerstaking them from his personal account.

Probably aware of having come to the end of his life, he decided to leave those who were all his having to the most invisible among the invisiblesconfirming the proximity to the prison environment, carried out even when the energies began to be scarce. «It was a way to rekindle the light on the world of prisoners. For them it means hope, presence, respect, “said Monsignor Ambarus.

Before the Easter crowd bath in San Pietro, his last public release had been in a prison, to Regina Coeli, on the occasion of Holy Thursday. Every year it is there that the pontiff loves to replicate the ritual of lavender of the feet made by Jesus to the Apostlesand even if this year he was unable to do it, he did not want to miss an appointment that he considers very important. Within the walls of the penitentiary located behind the Trastevere district he stopped for about half an hour, Meeting 70 prisoners of different ages and nationalities55% of which are waiting for trial, all very happy with his presence and that now, perhaps more than others, they cry the loss, aware that the Pope had had special eyes for them since the beginning of his pontificate.

The first visit to a prison dates back to March 28, 2013. Sole two weeks from the election to the papal throne, on the occasion of Holy Thursday he made the lavender of the feet to some prisoners of the criminal institute for minors of Casal del Marmo, in Rome, and from that moment his visits became usual.

“I don’t have the courage to say to any person who is in prison:” If he deserves it “. Why are you and not me? – he said during a visit to San Vittore in Milan in 2017 – The Lord loves me as much as you, the same Jesus is in you and in me, we are brothers sinners ».

Not even on the occasion of the inauguration of the Holy Year of the Jubilee Pope Francis had forgotten the prisoners. Last December 26thin fact, had decided to Open the second Holy Door of the Jubilee in the Church of the Our Father in the Roman prison of Rebibbia. An act carried out in the year that celebrates the mercy of God and which expresses a strong meaning not only religious but also social.

Pope Francis refused the only punitive vision of the prison And the idea that some people are unrecoverable, but on the contrary he believed that the vocation of these places was that of reintegration and that human dignity should never be lost, not even behind bars.

Also for this in 2013 he had abolished life imprisonment in the Vatican cityand introduced the crime of torture, which in Italy would have only arrived in 2017.

A re -educational vision never hidden and expressed also in many Angelus, with messages launched to politicswhich however has almost always chosen not to listen.

As confirmed by the bishop delegated to prisons that always a Republic he said the institutions “Have not collected his appeal. Despite his enormous commitment they did nothing to give even a small signal. The prisoners saw hope in him. A father died for them. Pope Francis suffered thinking about the conditions of prisons and has always shown great attention but his appeals ended up in the void ».

The same thought has also been expressed in these days by Don Luigi Ciotti. Intervened at the State University of Milan for the presentation of the book of Nando Dalla Chiesa, History of an academic revolutionthe founder of **Free ** He let himself go to a bitter consideration: “Too bad that today everyone celebrates Pope Francis, even those who have hindered his appeals, as compared to the prison and his request as a sign of hope of an amnesty and an indult”.

The theme of prisons in Italy It is more current than ever, due to a condition that has now come to collapse. According to the annual report drawn up by the Antigone Association, the prisoners in 2024 (on 16 December) were 62,153, against an effective capacity of all institutions equal to about 47,000 seats. This translates into a overcrowding rate of 132.6%which in some prisons, such as that of San Vittore, are abundantly overcome.

Suicides are also growingwhich last year were the 88 suicides, and the episodes of self -harm, attempted suicides and aggressions. Relating events for which the Council of Europe has more resumed urged Italy to intervene.

To date, however, little or nothing has been made to reverse the route, despite the fact that the Pope has always tried to make sure that the light on those who are behind the bars did not turn off.