Emotions run high during pope’s prison visit in Argentina

Father Matías de Martini, chaplain of the Devoto prison in Buenos Aires, Argentina, could not hold back his tears as he thanked Pope Leo XIV for his visit to the penitentiary on Nov. 11 and for his genuine concern for the inmates.

The priest said the pontiff’s visit “reminds us once again that God does not consider anyone lost, that he rejoices over the lost sheep, the son who returns home.”

Pope fills prisoners with hope On Nov. 11, Pope Leo XIV brought a message full of hope to the prisoners.

Addressing them, their families, and prison staff, he reflected on the “experience of our limitations” that human beings encounter. “Often,” he noted, “we 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.”

However, he said 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.”

The pope emphasized that “human beings do not flourish in spite of their limitations, but often through them,” and pointed out that…