The Holy Father, Pope Francis has sent a video message to the Centre for University Students at the Ezeiza Federal Penitentiary (Argentina).
A warm greeting to my friends, who form part of the University Students’ Centre of Ezeiza, a greeting that will recall those Sunday calls that I made to the prison. I am aware of all your activities and the existence of this area makes me very happy – an area of work, of culture, of progress; it’s a sign of humanity. And it wouldn’t be able to exist if there were not among you persons of so much human sensibility, among the inmates, the agents of the penitentiary service, managers, judges, members of the University of Buenos Aires and the students. Thank you.
Now a further step. You boosted the opening of the music workshop. I want to thank all those who helped in this initiative: the leader, Mister Claudio Segura; the Director, Mister Alejandro Gonzalez; the support and guarantee of the University of Buenos Aires and of the Judicial Power and, above all, the secretaries of the Court of Appeal, Luis and Victor; and the inmates in charge of the Students’ Centre – Marcelino, Guille. Edo – whom I know by telephone. Thank you for all you’ve done.
What is happening in your prison is a breath of life. And life – you know – is a gift, but a gift that must be won every day. We are given it, but we must win it every day. We must win it at every step of life's journey. A gift that’s not easy to keep. Courage, every day there are many difficulties, we all have them, but we take care of that gift and make it progress, we take care of it and make it flower.
Inmates are paying a penalty, a penalty for an error committed. However, let’s not forget that for the penalty to be fruitful it must have a horizon of hope, otherwise it remains shut-in on itself and is only an instrument of torture; it’s not fruitful. Penalty with hope is fruitful. The hope of social reinsertion and for that, social training, looking toward the future, and this is what you are doing. With this new music workshop you are looking to social reinsertion, you are already reinserting yourselves with your studies, with the University of Buenos Aires you are looking toward social reinsertion. It’s a penalty with hope, a penalty with horizon. I say it again, there are and there will be problems, but the horizon is greater than the problems, hope overcomes all problems.
Dear friends, I pray for you, I keep you close to my heart, I ask you not to forget to do the same for me. May God bless you and keep going forward, always with a smile — until our next call.
Video Message of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
addressed to university students at the
Ezeiza Federal Penitentiary in Argentina
A warm greeting to my friends, who form part of the University Students’ Centre of Ezeiza, a greeting that will recall those Sunday calls that I made to the prison. I am aware of all your activities and the existence of this area makes me very happy – an area of work, of culture, of progress; it’s a sign of humanity. And it wouldn’t be able to exist if there were not among you persons of so much human sensibility, among the inmates, the agents of the penitentiary service, managers, judges, members of the University of Buenos Aires and the students. Thank you.
Now a further step. You boosted the opening of the music workshop. I want to thank all those who helped in this initiative: the leader, Mister Claudio Segura; the Director, Mister Alejandro Gonzalez; the support and guarantee of the University of Buenos Aires and of the Judicial Power and, above all, the secretaries of the Court of Appeal, Luis and Victor; and the inmates in charge of the Students’ Centre – Marcelino, Guille. Edo – whom I know by telephone. Thank you for all you’ve done.
What is happening in your prison is a breath of life. And life – you know – is a gift, but a gift that must be won every day. We are given it, but we must win it every day. We must win it at every step of life's journey. A gift that’s not easy to keep. Courage, every day there are many difficulties, we all have them, but we take care of that gift and make it progress, we take care of it and make it flower.
Inmates are paying a penalty, a penalty for an error committed. However, let’s not forget that for the penalty to be fruitful it must have a horizon of hope, otherwise it remains shut-in on itself and is only an instrument of torture; it’s not fruitful. Penalty with hope is fruitful. The hope of social reinsertion and for that, social training, looking toward the future, and this is what you are doing. With this new music workshop you are looking to social reinsertion, you are already reinserting yourselves with your studies, with the University of Buenos Aires you are looking toward social reinsertion. It’s a penalty with hope, a penalty with horizon. I say it again, there are and there will be problems, but the horizon is greater than the problems, hope overcomes all problems.
Dear friends, I pray for you, I keep you close to my heart, I ask you not to forget to do the same for me. May God bless you and keep going forward, always with a smile — until our next call.
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