Pope tells prisoners they can 'begin again'

Pope Leo XIV urged prisoners to embrace "reconciliation and forgiveness" and to "begin again" during a visit to Brians 1 prison on Wednesday.

The Pope stressed that prisoners have the right to make mistakes and move beyond them.

"Remember that life's mistakes do not determine a person's identity," the pontiff said during the event in Sant Esteve Sesrovires, Baix Llobregat,  30 km northwest of Barcelona.

The Pope said that "being human and Christian does not mean never making mistakes" and highlighted "the capacity for conversion, repentance, self-amendment and, above all, reconciliation and forgiveness" as a way to "begin again."

During what was the first visit by a pope to a prison in Spain, Leo XIV met 80 inmates – men and women – from Brians 1, Brians 2 and Wad Ras prisons. All were regular participants in the prisons' pastoral activities. 

Speaking while seated, Leo XIV briefly addressed inmates and prison staff in Catalan, thanking them for "your welcome, so full of warmth and cordiality," before switching to Spanish to acknowledge the work of prison chaplains and volunteers from the prison ministry of Sant Feliu de Llobregat.

Accompanied by Catalan President Salvador Illa and Spain's Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, the Pope listened to testimonies from two prisoners, selected by the prison chaplain, who spoke on behalf of the Christian community about the role faith has played during their incarceration.

Josefina described herself as a lifelong believer and said her faith in God gives her "strength and life" while serving her sentence.

Montse said that before entering prison she had not "managed" to believe in God, but that faith had since helped her "be a better person" and see "resentment leave."

Both women thanked the pontiff for his visit with an embrace.

The event, which lasted around 20 minutes, concluded with a rendition of the Virolai by three singers accompanied by guitars as the Pope left the room to continue on to Montserrat.

The prisoners presented him with a ceramic plate featuring a dove, a symbol of freedom and hope, with packaging bearing a quotation from the Gospel of Matthew: "I was in prison and you came to visit me."