Chaplain of Italian prisoners shares testimony

Pope Francis decided to open, for the first time in history, a Holy Door In the Italian prison of Rebibbia During the Jubileo de la Esperanza, a gesture that prisoners hosted as a sign of clemency, closeness and hope.

Your visit to Rebibbia responded to the guidelines of the bull Hope you don’t disappointin which the Pontiff urges to be “tangible signs of hope for so many brothers and sisters who live in hardships.”

Fr. Raffaele Grimaldi, inspector of the chaplains of Italian prisons, stressed during a meeting with journalists organized by the ISCOM association around the Vatican, which the Holy Father knows “that those who have made mistakes need to have a hand so that they can resume their path”.

“I learned to be a priest in jail”

Fr. Grimaldi left chaplaincy in jail Secondigliano Naples – where he served prisoners for 23 years – to coordinate the 230 priests who serve the nearly 62,000 detainees from all over Italy, of which 20,000 are foreigners.

Of his years as chaplain, he emphasizes that there were not only the common detainees, “but also those of maximum security, people with a very strong criminal history.”

He emphasizes that his service “was for everyone” and that “it did not matter what crime the person had committed, because we should not identify the man who is in prison with his mistakes.”

“My experience in the prison of Secondigliano It was very intense, he formed me both humanly and spiritually. I always say that doing chaplain, I learned to be a priest, because I met the weakest, with the excluded, and above all, I faced mercy and forgiveness. ”

The priest also remarked that this has been the “most beautiful I have been able to live: being with them for 23 years, with their families, trying to be a sign of hope for them.”

“We chaplains are really convinced that, if we help detainees, they can recover self -confidence,” he said. He also indicated that prisoners pray every day for the prompt recovery of Pope Francis and that they have been able to hear the audio message who sent Thursday from the Gemelli hospital, which they hosted with hope.

A new culture of reception

On the call of the Holy Father to perform during the Holy Year acts of clemency towards the imprisoned, as happened in Cuba last January with the release of 553 prisoners After the mediation of the Vatican, Fr. Grimaldi stressed that, when the Pontiff launches a request, “leaves people freedom.”

“Pope’s call is evangelical, an appeal to consciousness and the responsibility of others. The pardon and act of clemency that the Pope asks is a call to mercy. We know well that detainees are there for reasons of justice, but we should never separate the mercy from justice. Otherwise, justice becomes revenge, ”he added.

Fr. Grimaldi stressed that Rebibbia It has become a “symbol of all the prisons of the world”, a place that the Holy Father chose “to tell the whole world: let’s try to look at our prisons.”

However, he said that Pope Francis has expressed his proximity to the detainees since his pontificate began, with the feet wash and his continuous calls to mercy.

Speaking to ACI Press, he said that “the role of lay people is fundamental” since it is necessary to “transmit a reception message.” “The prison door has opened so that it can be crossed and enter the prison. But we must not forget that this door is also open for others to come out. It is not only an entry, but also an exit, ”he insisted.

He stressed that his biggest concern is that, “when these detainees come out, they are not received or availability. There are still many prejudices and, being frank, society is afraid to welcome those who leave prison. ”

He insisted on the need to “educate the community and society to be more cozy and not indifferent to so many problems”, creating a new culture and ending with indifference.

He also noted that on April 9, members of the Italian Episcopal Conference, headed by Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, will cross the Holy Gate of the prison Rebibbia To celebrate the jubilee.