Philadelphia prison inmates design chair for Pope Francis, and hope he will pray with them - Victims want their voices heard too

Pope Francis to meet with inmates on Sept. 27.

Pope Francis will meet with prison inmates during his visit to Philadelphia. In anticipation of this arrival, inmates have built him a special chair to use. His visit will bring hope to inmates and their families as he shares the restorative message of Christ with eager inmates.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Pope Francis will visit the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility on September 27, and he will meet with 100 inmates and their families at that time.

Several inmates have worked at a neighboring facility to construct a chair for the Holy Father to use during his visit. The inmates are hopeful they will get to meet the Holy Father, although the final decision will be up to prison officials. Most of the inmates who meet Pope Francis will be Catholic.

The chair was designed by Anthony Newman, the assistant director of the vocational program that is employing the woodworking inmates. Five inmates carefully carved the chair from walnut, and several others worked on the upholstery and the symbolic carvings which adorn the seat.

Pope Francis has made a special project of visiting inmates in prisons during his travels. It is core to the Christian message to visit those who are in prison and to share the restorative message of Christ with them.

Among the items that will be presented to Pope Francis is a plaque with a verse from Matthew inscribed. The plaque reads, "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me." (Matthew 25:35-40)

The pope's plan to visit the prison isn't without some controversy as some detractors call for Pope Francis to meet with victims and their families as well. All of the inmates Pope Francis will be visiting have been convicted of felonies, which have landed them in prison. Those crimes include murder. Despite the severity of their crimes, many of those inmates will one day be released.

Meanwhile, victims have been sentenced to lifetimes of suffering. Some victims have had their lives ended.

It is true that victims and their families also need healing and they too are worthy of papal attention. However, the two souls, that is the soul of the victim and the soul of the felon are not mutually exclusive. There is enough love through Christ for both.

It is hoped that Pope Francis' visit with the inmates has the benefit of saving future victims from suffering by converting the hearts of those he meets and preventing future evils. Perhaps his visit will also contain words of healing for the victims, so they too can be healed. A world where the felon stops being the felon and the victim stops being the victim (for they are healed), is the better world, even if it is still not the best.

---

'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'

Copyright 2021 - Distributed by Catholic Online