At the Angelus,on Sunday November 6, the Pope appealed for justice not to be administered purely in the form of punishment. Addressing political leaders, he said: “living conditions in prisons need to improve”. He also praised the climate agreement on the “common home”
At the Angelus, the Pope asked for an act of clemency “for eligible prisoners”. As his predecessor, St. John Paul II did during the Jubilee in 2000, on the occasion of his historic visit to the Italian Parliament, Jorge Mario Bergoglio asked governments for “an act of clemency” for prisoners “deemed eligible to benefit from such a provision” “in this Year of Mercy”.
Lots of yellow balloons bobbed around in the air today on the day of the Jubilee of Prisoners, during which a pardon was requested. Hundreds of people took part in the march, which started off from the Regina Coeli prison and ended up in St. Peter’s Square, where they attended the Pope’s Angelus prayer. “On the occasion of today’s Jubilee of Prisoners,” the Pope said, “I wish to appeal for improved living conditions for prisoners across the world, for the human dignity of prisoners to be fully respected. I would also like to stress the importance of reflecting on the need for a criminal justice that is not exclusively punitive, but open to the hope and prospect of reintegrating the offender back into society.”
The Pope encouraged the work done during the climate summit. “Two days ago, the Paris Agreement on climate change came into force,” he explained. “This important step forward shows that humanity is able to work together to safeguard creation, to place the economy at people’s service and build peace and justice. Tomorrow, a new session of the climate summit, aimed, amongst other things, at implementing the agreement, is to begin in the Moroccan city of Marakesh tomorrow. I hope that this entire process will be driven by an awareness of the responsibility we have to care for our common home.”
Francis also mentioned Albania’s 38 martyrs, who lost their lives during the communist dictatorship and were beatified yesterday. “38 martyrs were proclaimed Blesseds yesterday in Scutari, Albania,” he emphasised. “two bishops, numerous priests and religious, a seminarian and some lay people, all victims of a ruthless persecution carried out by the atheist regime that ruled the country for a long time in the century just past. They chose to undergo imprisonment, torture and even faced death for their faith in Christ and the Church. May their example aid us, through the Lord, in finding the strength that helps us get through difficult times and inspires in us attitudes of kindness, forgiveness and peace.”
Faith is the reference framework and cannot be reduced to ethics. “The Resurrection is the foundation of Christian faith. If there was no reference to Heaven and eternal life, Christianity would be reduced to ethics, a philosophy of life,” he said. According to Francis, “believing in the Resurrection is essential as it means every act of Christian love is not ephemeral or an end in itself but a seed destined to blossom in the garden of God and produce fruits of eternal life.” The Pope reminded faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square that “the message of Christian faith comes from Heaven, it is revealed by God and is beyond this world”. “May the Virgin Mary, queen of Heaven and earth, confirm us in the hope of the Resurrection and help us to transform the word of her Son – planted in our hearts – into good deeds.”
Droves of people took part in the march to St. Peter’s Square: from radicals to the union of Italian criminal chambers, to associations such as Hands off Cain, which campaign against the death penalty in the world. The “March for amnesty, justice and freedom” was dedicated to Marco Pannella and Pope Francis. The word “amnesty” needs to be reinstated, it is written in the Constitution but today “is denied, it is a taboo, there is fear of pronouncing it because one becomes a victim of a criminal populism that is in vogue in our country,” organisers explaining that “amnesty has nothing to do with clemency but affirms and restores legality”. “Today’s march in Rome calls above all for amnesty,” said senator Luigi Manconi, President of the Italian Senate’s Human Rights Commission. “Pope Francis has stressed the urgent need for amnesty twice, despite many trying to suppress this wise and very reasonable proposal. Without mercy there is no Jubilee and without amnesty and pardon there is no just law.”
