A story appeared in the National Catholic Reporter (NCR) which reminded us of the late Pope’s personal commitment to those in prison. As a final act of compassion at the end of his life, Pope Francis emptied his personal bank account so as to donate €200,000 to the imprisoned.
According to Bishop Benoni Ambarus, auxiliary Bishop of Rome and director of the Office for Prison Pastoral Care, it was a final act of love toward those he had called his “brothers and sisters behind bars”, whom he last visited at Rome’s Regina Coeli prison on Maundy Thursday, 4 days before he died.
The NCR reports that “Francis’ bond with the prison population was a core feature of his ministry. From the start of his papacy, he made headlines by washing the feet of inmates on Holy Thursdays and calling for greater compassion within justice systems.”
Read the full NCR article, here.
Picture above of Rome’s Regina Coeli prison. By Lalupa – Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2629561