The Pope took the time to greet the inmates one by one, as well as staff members and volunteers.
AFP
“Let us not dismiss dignity”: Pope Francis, 87, began his visit to Venice on Sunday at a women’s prison, where he called on the prison system to “create the conditions for healthy reintegration”.
This is the Argentine pontiff’s first trip outside Rome in seven months, due to health problems and an attack of fatigue which caused concern at Easter.
Arriving by helicopter directly in the courtyard of the prison on the island of Giudecca, where the pavilion of the Holy See was erected at the 60th Venice Biennale of Contemporary Art, Francis greeted the inmates at length, one by one. as well as administrative and prison staff and volunteers.
“Prison can be a place of rebirth”
In this former convent welcoming women sentenced to long sentences, the Bishop of Rome, sensitive to the place of the marginalized and the prison world, called on the prison system to offer inmates “tools and spaces for human growth , spiritual, cultural and professional.
“Prison is a harsh reality, and problems such as overcrowding, lack of facilities and resources, violent incidents, cause so much suffering there. But it can also become a place of rebirth (…) where the dignity of women and men is not put in isolation,” he declared.
“Courage, and forward! Don’t give up,” said the Pope After receiving a gift of products made by the inmates, several of whom appeared moved.
Art exhibition
Away from the spotlight and the crowds, the Holy See pavilion is one of the most prominent at the prestigious Venice Biennale of Contemporary Art and offers visitors an immersive and disconcerting experience, where the works rub shoulders with the barbed wire.
Chiara Parisi, curator of the exhibition, highlighted the “wonder” and “hope” of the inmates regarding this visit. “The pope acts beyond words” by going near them, “people who are keen to play a role even when they are in a very difficult situation,” she declared.
In front of the artists who participated in the exhibition and leaders of the cultural world gathered in the deconsecrated chapel of the prison, the Pope insisted on the role of art to fight against “racism, xenophobia, inequality, ecological imbalance.
Mass in St. Mark’s Square
After this visit, Francis was to speak to young people at the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, before reaching the famous St. Mark’s Square via an ephemeral bridge, where he was to preside over a large mass. The sovereign pontiff is due to leave Venice early this afternoon.
After Paul VI (1972), John Paul II (1985) and Benedict XVI (2011), Francis is the fourth pope to visit the City of the Doges, whose history is closely linked to that of the papacy.
Entrance tax also for the faithful
The pope’s visit comes on the weekend of the introduction of an entry fee of 5 euros for day tourists: as a guest, Francis was exempt but non-resident pilgrims were subject to it.
After this trip, the pope must make two other trips to northern Italy, to Verona in May and to Trieste in July. A way of reassuring him about his ability to carry out his ministry, after concerns about his health.
Since his visit to Marseille (F) in September 2023, Jorge Bergoglio has no longer traveled. Bronchitis forced him to cancel his trip to Dubai in December and his increasingly fragile general condition forced him to limit travel.
(afp)
