Pope Francis made a brief but moving visit to Rome’s Regina Coeli prison on Holy Thursday, spending approximately thirty minutes with seventy inmates who welcomed him with extended and enthusiastic applause.
During the visit, the Pontiff gifted the prisoners copies of the Gospel, offering them words of hope and spiritual encouragement ahead of the Easter celebration.
Notably, this marks one of Pope Francis’s rare public appearances since his recent health challenges. Although he no longer requires oxygen support, his mobility and strength remain limited. He arrived and departed the prison in a small white Fiat 500.
When asked by journalists outside the prison how he plans to spend Easter this year, the 87-year-old pope simply replied, “I will live this Easter as I can.”
Source: ANA-MPA, Translated by: Konstantinos Menyktas
