At 11:55am this morning (5:55am EDT), in Saint Peter's Square, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience the Penitentiary Police, the Penitentiary Administrative Staff and the Youth and Community Justices.
Following words of introduction offered by the Head of the Department of Penitentiary Administration, Mister Francesco Basentini, the Pope offered the following words to those who were in attendance.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning.
I welcome you and I thank the Head of the Department of Penitentiary Administration for his words.
I myself would like to address three simple words. First of all I would like to say thank you to the Penitentiary Police and to the administrative staff. Thank you because your work is hidden, often difficult and not very satisfying, but it is essential. Thank you for all the times you live your service not only as a necessary vigilance, but as a support to those who are weak. I know it is not easy but when, besides being custodians of security, you are a close presence for those who have fallen into the networks of evil, you become builders of the future: you lay the foundations for a more respectful coexistence and therefore for a safer society. Thank you because, by doing so, you become, day after day, weavers of justice and hope. Thank you!
There is a passage from the New Testament, addressed to all Christians, which I believe fits you in a particular way. The Letter to the Hebrews says: Remember the prisoners, as if you were their prison companions (Heb 13: 3). You find yourselves in this situation, as you cross the thresholds of so many places of pain every day, while you spend so much time between departments, while you are committed to guaranteeing safety without ever lacking respect for human beings. Please do not forget the good you can do every day. Your behaviour, your attitudes, your looks are precious. You are people who, faced with a wounded and often devastated humanity, recognize, on behalf of the State and society, everyone's irrepressible dignity. I thank you therefore for not only being vigilant, but above all being guardians of the people who are entrusted to you so that, in becoming aware of the evil done, they can welcome prospects of rebirth for the good of all. You are thus called to be bridges between prison and civil society: with your service, exercising compassion, you can bypass mutual fears and the drama of indifference. Thank you.
I would also like to tell you not to be discouraged, despite the tensions that can arise in detention facilities. In your work all that makes you feel cohesive is of great help: first of all the support of your families, who are close to you in your labours. And then reciprocal encouragement, the sharing among colleagues, that allows you to face difficulties together and help each other to face all the insufficiencies. Among these I think, in particular, of the problem of overcrowding of penitentiary institutions - it is a serious problem -, which increases in everyone a sense of weakness if not exhaustion. When strength diminishes, distrust increases. It is essential to guarantee decent living conditions, otherwise prisons become powder magazines of anger, rather than places of recovery.
A second word is for Chaplains, nuns, religious and volunteers: you are the bearers of the Gospel within the walls of prisons. I would like to tell you: keep going. Come on, when you go into the most difficult situations with the strength of a smile and a heart that listens: the wisdom to listen, keep going, with the heart that listens. Keep going when you put on other people's burdens and bring them into prayer. Keep going when, in contact with the poverty you encounter, you see your own poverty. It is good, because it is essential to recognize oneself as first of all in need of forgiveness. Then the sufferings of others become receptacles of God's mercy; then, from forgiven, one becomes a credible witness of God's forgiveness. Otherwise one risks bringing oneself and one's presumed self-sufficiency. Be careful about this! Keep going, because with your mission you offer consolation. And it is so important not to just leave those who feel that they are alone.
I would also like to dedicate to you a phrase from Scripture, which the people murmured against Jesus when they saw him go to Zacchaeus, a tax collector accused of injustice and robbery. The Gospel of Luke says this: He entered the house of a sinner (Lk 19: 7). The Lord has gone, he has not stopped in front of the prejudices of those who believe that the Gospel is destined for good people. On the contrary, the Gospel requires getting your hands dirty. Thank you, for getting your hands dirty! And keep going! Next then, with Jesus and in the sign of Jesus, who calls you to be patient sowers of his word (cf Mt 13.18-23), tireless seekers of what is lost, heralds of the certainty that each one is precious to God, pastors that bear the weaker sheep on their own fragile shoulders (cf Lk 15,4-10). Keep going with generosity and joy: with your ministry, console the heart of God.
Finally, a third word, which I would like to address to prisoners. It is the word courage. Jesus himself says it to you: Courage. This word comes from the heart. Courage, because you are in the heart of God, you are precious in his eyes and, even if you feel lost and unworthy, do not lose heart. You who are detained are important to God, who wants to do wonders in you. Also a sentence from the Bible for you. The First Letter of John says: God is greater than our heart (1 Jn 3:20). Never let yourself be imprisoned in the dark cell of a hopeless heart, do not give in to resignation. God is greater than any problem and is waiting for you; he wants to love you. Stand before the Crucifix, under the gaze of Jesus: in front of Him, with simplicity, with sincerity. From there, from the humble courage of those who do not lie to themselves, peace is reborn, the trust of being loved and the strength to go on flourishes again. I imagine looking at you and seeing disappointment and frustration in your eyes, while hope still beats in your heart, often linked to the memory of your loved ones. Come on, never choke the little flame of hope. Always look toward the horizon of the future: there is always a future of hope, always.
Dear brothers and sisters, reviving this little flame is everyone's duty. It is up to every society to nourish it, to ensure that the penalty does not compromise the right to hope, that prospects for reconciliation and reintegration are guaranteed. While the mistakes of the past are remedied, hope in the future cannot be erased. Life imprisonment is not the solution to problems - I repeat: life imprisonment is not the solution to problems - but a problem to be solved. Because if hope is closed in the cell, there is no future for society. Never deprive yourself of the right to start over! You, dear brothers and sisters, are witnesses of this right with your work and your service: the right to hope, the right to start again. I renew my thanks to you. Keep going, have courage, with God's blessing, guarding those entrusted to you. I pray for you and I also ask you to pray for me.
Thank you.
Testo originale nella lingua italiana
Following words of introduction offered by the Head of the Department of Penitentiary Administration, Mister Francesco Basentini, the Pope offered the following words to those who were in attendance.
Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
addressed to te Penitentiary Community
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning.
I welcome you and I thank the Head of the Department of Penitentiary Administration for his words.
I myself would like to address three simple words. First of all I would like to say thank you to the Penitentiary Police and to the administrative staff. Thank you because your work is hidden, often difficult and not very satisfying, but it is essential. Thank you for all the times you live your service not only as a necessary vigilance, but as a support to those who are weak. I know it is not easy but when, besides being custodians of security, you are a close presence for those who have fallen into the networks of evil, you become builders of the future: you lay the foundations for a more respectful coexistence and therefore for a safer society. Thank you because, by doing so, you become, day after day, weavers of justice and hope. Thank you!
There is a passage from the New Testament, addressed to all Christians, which I believe fits you in a particular way. The Letter to the Hebrews says: Remember the prisoners, as if you were their prison companions (Heb 13: 3). You find yourselves in this situation, as you cross the thresholds of so many places of pain every day, while you spend so much time between departments, while you are committed to guaranteeing safety without ever lacking respect for human beings. Please do not forget the good you can do every day. Your behaviour, your attitudes, your looks are precious. You are people who, faced with a wounded and often devastated humanity, recognize, on behalf of the State and society, everyone's irrepressible dignity. I thank you therefore for not only being vigilant, but above all being guardians of the people who are entrusted to you so that, in becoming aware of the evil done, they can welcome prospects of rebirth for the good of all. You are thus called to be bridges between prison and civil society: with your service, exercising compassion, you can bypass mutual fears and the drama of indifference. Thank you.
I would also like to tell you not to be discouraged, despite the tensions that can arise in detention facilities. In your work all that makes you feel cohesive is of great help: first of all the support of your families, who are close to you in your labours. And then reciprocal encouragement, the sharing among colleagues, that allows you to face difficulties together and help each other to face all the insufficiencies. Among these I think, in particular, of the problem of overcrowding of penitentiary institutions - it is a serious problem -, which increases in everyone a sense of weakness if not exhaustion. When strength diminishes, distrust increases. It is essential to guarantee decent living conditions, otherwise prisons become powder magazines of anger, rather than places of recovery.
A second word is for Chaplains, nuns, religious and volunteers: you are the bearers of the Gospel within the walls of prisons. I would like to tell you: keep going. Come on, when you go into the most difficult situations with the strength of a smile and a heart that listens: the wisdom to listen, keep going, with the heart that listens. Keep going when you put on other people's burdens and bring them into prayer. Keep going when, in contact with the poverty you encounter, you see your own poverty. It is good, because it is essential to recognize oneself as first of all in need of forgiveness. Then the sufferings of others become receptacles of God's mercy; then, from forgiven, one becomes a credible witness of God's forgiveness. Otherwise one risks bringing oneself and one's presumed self-sufficiency. Be careful about this! Keep going, because with your mission you offer consolation. And it is so important not to just leave those who feel that they are alone.
I would also like to dedicate to you a phrase from Scripture, which the people murmured against Jesus when they saw him go to Zacchaeus, a tax collector accused of injustice and robbery. The Gospel of Luke says this: He entered the house of a sinner (Lk 19: 7). The Lord has gone, he has not stopped in front of the prejudices of those who believe that the Gospel is destined for good people. On the contrary, the Gospel requires getting your hands dirty. Thank you, for getting your hands dirty! And keep going! Next then, with Jesus and in the sign of Jesus, who calls you to be patient sowers of his word (cf Mt 13.18-23), tireless seekers of what is lost, heralds of the certainty that each one is precious to God, pastors that bear the weaker sheep on their own fragile shoulders (cf Lk 15,4-10). Keep going with generosity and joy: with your ministry, console the heart of God.
Finally, a third word, which I would like to address to prisoners. It is the word courage. Jesus himself says it to you: Courage. This word comes from the heart. Courage, because you are in the heart of God, you are precious in his eyes and, even if you feel lost and unworthy, do not lose heart. You who are detained are important to God, who wants to do wonders in you. Also a sentence from the Bible for you. The First Letter of John says: God is greater than our heart (1 Jn 3:20). Never let yourself be imprisoned in the dark cell of a hopeless heart, do not give in to resignation. God is greater than any problem and is waiting for you; he wants to love you. Stand before the Crucifix, under the gaze of Jesus: in front of Him, with simplicity, with sincerity. From there, from the humble courage of those who do not lie to themselves, peace is reborn, the trust of being loved and the strength to go on flourishes again. I imagine looking at you and seeing disappointment and frustration in your eyes, while hope still beats in your heart, often linked to the memory of your loved ones. Come on, never choke the little flame of hope. Always look toward the horizon of the future: there is always a future of hope, always.
Dear brothers and sisters, reviving this little flame is everyone's duty. It is up to every society to nourish it, to ensure that the penalty does not compromise the right to hope, that prospects for reconciliation and reintegration are guaranteed. While the mistakes of the past are remedied, hope in the future cannot be erased. Life imprisonment is not the solution to problems - I repeat: life imprisonment is not the solution to problems - but a problem to be solved. Because if hope is closed in the cell, there is no future for society. Never deprive yourself of the right to start over! You, dear brothers and sisters, are witnesses of this right with your work and your service: the right to hope, the right to start again. I renew my thanks to you. Keep going, have courage, with God's blessing, guarding those entrusted to you. I pray for you and I also ask you to pray for me.
Thank you.
Testo originale nella lingua italiana
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