“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”. The Pope said this to the inmates of the Giudecca in Venice, inviting them “not to take away the dignity of anyone”. Prison “can also become a place of rebirth, moral and material, where the dignity of women and men is not ‘put in isolation’, but promoted through mutual respect and care of talents and abilities”.
The Pope’s first meeting in Venice is with the Giudecca inmates: “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 live this moment not so much as a ‘ official visit of the Pope, as a meeting in which, by the grace of God, we give each other time, prayer, closeness and brotherly affection. Today we will all leave this courtyard richer, perhaps the one who will emerge richer will be me, and the the good that we exchange will be precious,” Pope Francis said. “It is the Lord who wants us together in this moment, having arrived through different paths, some of them very painful, also due to errors from which, in various ways, each person bears wounds and scars. And God wants us together because he knows that each of us we, here, today, have something unique to give and to receive, and that we all need it”, “each of us has our own singularity, a gift to offer and share”, said the Pope in his first speech in Venice.
“It is essential that the prison system also offers prisoners tools and spaces for human growth, spiritual, cultural and professional, creating the conditions for their healthy reintegration. Please, do not ‘isolate dignity’, but give new possibilities!”. The Pope said this in his speech on the Giudecca in Venice.
The Giudecca women’s prison is the first stop on the Pope’s visit to the lagoon city, which, after a meeting with young people in front of the Basilica della Salute, will end with Mass in San Marco. In the prison the Holy Father will meet the inmates of the penitentiary institute, and will visit the Holy See pavilion at the Venice Biennale, entitled “with my eyes”.
Operations for the influx of faithful to Piazza San Marco in Venice began around 7 am, where Pope Francis will celebrate mass at 11 am, at the end of his visit to the lagoon city. The entrance to the gates around the March area is in an orderly manner, and on the large stage where the altar for the celebration has been set up, the members of the orchestra that will accompany the songs have arranged themselves. The faithful have the opportunity to see the stages of the papal visit from some big screens. The first applause already rose from the square when Pope Francis was seen arriving at the Giudecca women’s prison.
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