Visit to the Buenos Aires Federal Penitentiary Complex

At 7.10 (11.10 in Rome), the Holy Father Leo XIV took leave of the Apostolic Nunciature and transferred by car to the Buenos Aires Federal Penitentiary Complex.

Upon arrival, the Pope, accompanied by Archbishop Jorge Ignacio García Cuerva of Buenos Aires, approached the stage set up inside the gymnasium of the Complex, via the central corridor, where he was welcomed by the Director of the Penitentiary Centre and other authorities present.

After the welcome hymn, the introduction from the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, the words of welcome from the Director of the Penitentiary Centre, and testimonies from two inmates and a person who has served his sentence, the Holy Father delivered his address.

This was followed by the signing of the Book of Honour and the exchange of gifts, with an introduction from the Chaplain, Father Matías Martini.

At the end, after the blessing and the final hymn, the Holy Father bade farewell to the Director of the Penitentiary Centre at the main entrance, and transferred by car to the Basilica of Luján for the celebration of Holy Mass.

The following is the address delivered by the Holy Father to those present during the visit:

Address of the Holy Father

Good morning to all of you!

I am happy to be here with you today.  Thank you for welcoming me and giving me the opportunity to have this encounter with you.  I thank the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge García Cuerva, the Minister of Security, the Minister of Justice,  the Chief of the Prison Service, as well as the Chaplain, Father Matías and all of you - especially those who have shared their testimonies.  I hope that all of us, myself included, can carry in our hearts this message that a new life is possible.  It is the hope we need.  I am deeply grateful to Cristian, Maximiliano and Reinaldo, who have shared these testimonies. Thank you.

I would like to share with you a reflection on something we all have in common by virtue of being human: the experience of our limitations.  Society often presents everything that constitutes a limitation — incapacity, illness, old age and suffering — as if they were a defect to be corrected, while offering an abundance of possibilities that, in some way, can make us feel “immortal” (cf. Magnifica Humanitas, 118).  We can see this in certain troubling realities that are all too familiar to us: the sense of omnipotence produced by drugs, the false power that comes from easy money, the cowardly sense of security that comes from inflicting violence upon the weakest, and the impunity that results from corruption.

We often become aware of our limitations through sin and its consequences, whether by making a mistake, suffering from an illness or experiencing the death of a loved one. For this reason, “over the years, we carry within us lessons that leave their mark like scars, the memories of a journey shaped by freedom and failure, dreams and disappointments” (ibid., 120).

Certainly, the evil that assails the human heart wreaks havoc on society and on the lives of many people, sometimes reaching extremes of inhumanity.  Nevertheless, “even when persons dehumanize themselves and bring about tragedy, a small light continues to shine […] one that can be rekindled, with God’s grace, along paths of conversion and reconciliation” (ibid., 121).

Dear brothers, this means that even amid the evil, pain and deepest failures you may have experienced or caused, your present circumstances can become an opportunity to begin your lives anew, as you have shared with us in your testimonies.  Indeed, human beings do not flourish in spite of their limitations, but often through them (cf. ibid., 118). It is precisely when our limitations become tangible in our lives that we can discover a new wisdom, experience the closeness of others, and encounter the presence of the Lord (cf. ibid., 119).

Your time in this institution can be an opportunity to begin anew, making peace with God and returning without fear to the embrace of your families and society.  For the experience of our limitations, “when truly accepted, does not diminish us but opens us to recognizing the face of God and others” (ibid., 122).

I know that this place, both in its structure and in its organization, makes the harsh reality of limitation painfully clear: being unable to leave freely, being unable to embrace your children each day and even having to endure other forms of deprivation. I can imagine your sleepless nights, while you miss your loved ones or think about those you may have hurt. I know that you are disappointed that you did not find a friendly hand, someone who trusted you, helped you get back on your feet and encouraged you to move forward when you needed it most.  And it may seem that all of this is an open wound that can never heal.

For this very reason, I would like to emphasize all the more that prison is also a witness to profound changes and conversions, to growth, learning and the acquisition of new skills and knowledge. After experiencing human fragility in its most painful form, many have learned to transform the desert of their own existence into a fruitful garden. Indeed, with God’s grace, it is possible to move beyond total darkness and kindle small lights of hope. These glimmers of light also radiate beyond these walls: into your families, among those who work here and throughout society.

First of all, let us consider your families. They too are waiting for and need these glimmers of light to help them carry on. I would like to address a few words to them. Dear fathers and mothers, dear wives and children, dear families of those who are incarcerated: I would like to remind you that Jesus Christ, when speaking of the importance of charity, identified himself with a prisoner (cf. Mt 25:36). He himself, before giving his life to save us, was deprived of his freedom despite being entirely without sin (cf. Jn 18:12). That is why we must turn to him and implore him on behalf of our loved ones who are in prison.  Let us ask Jesus, who was himself a prisoner, to grant them all strength and wisdom, so that this time of solitude and isolation will not be in vain, but will become a time of grace and salvation (cf. Titus 2:11).

I would like to offer a word to the penitentiary service personnel and all the professionals and volunteers who carry out their work in the prisons of this country, as well as those engaged in prison ministry. Dear brothers, you may be tempted to think that nothing will ever change for the better, or to feel powerless in the face of the “structures of sin” (Saint John Paul II, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 36) and of death, in the face of deception and corruption that do not disappear but are reinforced through various forms of aggression. I would like to remind you that your work is also an opportunity for growth and personal development.  Dear brothers, let us remember that visiting those in prison is a work of mercy to which we are all called. I encourage you to be firm in faith and to anchor your lives in Christian hope, so that you may face the many challenges that arise each day and help make this environment more humane and respectful, one that truly fosters rehabilitation and reintegration into the community.

Finally, to the authorities and the whole of Argentinian society, I would like to say that it is precisely within our limitations that compassion, sincere concern for the needs of others and generosity find a place (cf. Magnifica Humanitas, 119).  We are part of the same human family.  Let us promote whatever contributes to the good of all. Let us accompany especially our children and young people, educating them in authentic values, caring for them and protecting them, so that they do not fall into the pernicious networks of criminality. The Lord will call us to account for what we have done for each of our brothers and sisters.

May Our Lady of Mercy shelter you all beneath her heavenly mantle. And may the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, come down on you and remain with you forever. Amen.