From inside the walls of Rome’s largest prison, Christmas hymns rang out as inmates and prison guards together sang “Silent Night” and exchanged the sign of peace during an intimate Mass led by Pope Francis to mark a historic moment — the first opening of a jubilee Holy Door within a prison.
The pope’s Thursday Mass in Rome’s Rebibbia Prison Complex on the feast of St. Stephen — the first Christian martyr — marked a profound beginning to the Catholic Church’s Jubilee of Hope, symbolizing redemption and the possibility of new beginnings for the inmates.
The pope’s visit began with a solemn ritual as he stood from his wheelchair to knock six times on the bronze Holy Door of the prison chapel, the “Church of the Our Father.” On the other side of the threshold, the church was filled with about 100 inmates as well as police officers, chaplains, volunteers, prison guards, and their families who had all been eagerly awaiting the pope’s arrival since before sunrise.
“The first Holy Door I opened at Christmas in St. Peter’s. I wanted the second one to be here, in a prison,” Pope Francis told the inmates on Dec. 26. “I wanted each of us here, inside and out, to have the possibility of throwing open the door of our hearts and understanding that hope doesn't disappoint."
He described how one of the prison ministers had formed a small choir among the inmates who had been practicing together in the
While the other four Holy Doors open to jubilee pilgrims visiting Rome are all in the Eternal City’s historic basilicas, this fifth Holy Door stands alone, accessible to only inmates and staff at the prison, which Pope Francis called “a cathedral of pain and hope.”
Paolo Impagliazzo, secretary-general of the Catholic Community of Sant’Egidio, has served as a volunteer in the prison ministry at Rebibbia for the past 20 years.
“We have more than 1,500 inmates here in Rebibbia,” Impagliazzo told CNA. He noted that a group of inmates who participate in the prison chaplaincy and who usually attend the prison Mass were selected from different parts of the prison facility to take part in the papal Mass.
Prisoners also participated in the liturgy by bringing up the gifts during the offertory, while prison guards read the Scripture readings.
For Impagliazzo, this moment in the Jubilee of Hope is a reminder that the prisoners are not “confined to their mistakes.”
“They are a part of a journey, of a Christian journey together with the other Christian people all over the world,” he said.
During the pope’s off-the-cuff homily, Francis spoke directly to the prisoners, emphasizing how one of the graces of the jubilee is “to open hearts to hope.”
“Do not lose hope. Hold on to the anchor of hope,” Pope Francis underlined.
At the end of the Mass, the pope took the time to personally greet each prisoner present and extended his greetings to those who remained in their cells.
“I pray for you every day,” Pope Francis told the inmates.
“I really do. It is not a figure of speech. I think of you and I pray for you,” he continued. “I wish you much peace.”
The prisoners presented the pope with a series of gifts, including a miniature reproduction of the prison’s Holy Door, crafted from wood salvaged from migrant boats, and a basket containing handmade items from the women’s section of the prison. In return, Pope Francis gave a parchment bearing a message of hope.
Bishop Benoni Ambarus, an auxiliary bishop of Rome who oversees the diocese’s charitable initiatives, called the day a “dream we’ve been cultivating for a long time.” Ambarus served as the celebrant at the altar for the Mass, which was concelebrated by the pope.
Pope Francis announced his intention to open a Holy Door in a prison for the first time during an ordinary jubilee in his papal bull Spes Non Confundit (“Hope Does Not Disappoint”), in which he called for the Church’s holy year to be a moment when “governments undertake initiatives aimed at restoring hope; forms of amnesty or pardon … and programs of reintegration.”
“During the holy year, we are called to be tangible signs of hope for those of our brothers and sisters who experience hardships of any kind. I think of prisoners who, deprived of their freedom, daily feel the harshness of detention and its restrictions, lack of affection and, in more than a few cases, lack of respect for their persons,” Pope Francis wrote in the papal bull.
“In order to offer prisoners a concrete sign of closeness, I would myself like to open a Holy Door in a prison, as a sign inviting prisoners to look to the future with hope and a renewed sense of confidence,” he said.
As the pope left the Rebibbia prison, he stopped to greet the 300 inmates and staff who had waited outside of the crowded chapel on the cold December morning.
The pope also gave an impromptu interview to an Italian TV journalist whom he met on the side of the road outside of the prison from the window of the white Fiat 500 car bringing him back to Vatican City.
Reflecting on his visit, Pope Francis said in the interview: “Every time I come to a prison, I ask myself: Why them and not me?”
“Because we all can fall, the important thing is to not lose hope, to hold onto that anchor of hope,” he said.
“We have to accompany the prisoners,” he added. “Jesus says that on the day of judgment we will be judged on this: ‘I was in prison, and you visited me.’”
By Courtney Mares
This article was first published by Catholic News Agency on December 26, 2024.
