Pope Leo calls on governments to grant pardons for prisoners during Jubilee year
On Sunday, Pope Leo XIV called for nations to give out amnesties and pardons to prisoners during the Jubilee year.
Speaking in St Peter’s Basilica at a Mass for the Jubilee for prisoners and those work in prisons, the pontiff admitted prison is a difficult place and “even the best proposals can encounter many obstacles.”
Leo spoke about December last year, when Pope Francis opening the Holy Door in the Church of Our Father in the prison in Rebibbia on Dec. 26.
“[Pope Francis] addressed this invitation to everyone: ‘I say two things to you: First, the rope in hand, with the anchor of hope. Second, open wide the doors of your heart’. Referring to an image already directed toward eternity, beyond the barrier of space and time, he was inviting us to keep alive our faith in the life to come and always to believe in the possibility of a better future,” the pope said.
“At the same time, however, he was exhorting us to be people who practice, with generous hearts, justice and charity in the places where we live,” Leo said.
“Certainly, prison is a difficult place and even the best proposals can encounter many obstacles. For this reason, however, we must never tire, be discouraged or give up,” the pope said.
“We must keep moving forward with tenacity, courage and a spirit of collaboration. Indeed, there are many who do not yet understand that for every fall one must be able to get back up, that no human being is defined only by his or her actions and that justice is always a process of reparation and reconciliation,” he continued.
“Yet, when even in difficult situations we are able to maintain and preserve the beauty of feelings, sensitivity, attention to the needs of others, respect, the capacity for mercy and forgiveness, beautify flowers spring forth from the ‘hard ground’ of sin and suffering,” Leo said.
“Moreover, gestures, projects and encounters, unique in their humanity, mature even within prison walls. This involves working on one’s own feelings and thoughts, which is necessary for those deprived of their freedom, but even more so for those who have the obligation of representing them and making sure that they are treated justly,” he added.
Leo said people that although miracles of healing come through the extraordinary interventions of God, “more often they are entrusted to us, to our compassion, attention and wisdom and to the responsibility of our community and institutions.”
“To this end, Pope Francis also hoped that during this Jubilee year ‘forms of amnesty or pardon meant to help individuals regain confidence in themselves and in society’ could be granted and real opportunities of reintegration could be offered to all,” the pope said.
Leo added that he hopes that many countries are following this desire of Pope Francis.
“Dear friends, the task that the Lord entrusts to you — to all of you, prisoners and those who work in the penitentiary system — is not easy. There are many problems to be addressed,” the pope said.
“Here, we can mention overcrowding, insufficient commitment to guarantee stable educational programs for rehabilitation and job opportunities. On a more personal level, let us not forget the weight of the past, the wounds to be healed in body and heart, the disappointments, the infinite patience that is needed 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’,” he said.
“This is what our God wants, this is his Kingdom, and this is the goal of his actions in the world,” Leo said.