Don’t lose hope, says Pope as he opens the Holy Door in Rome’s prison

Wearing red robes for the feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, Pope Francis knocked on the door of the church in Rome’s Rebibbia prison complex and stepped over the threshold.

After offering a formal prayer before the opening of the prison’s Holy Door on December 26, the pope took back the microphone to declare that he had opened the Holy Year 2025 with the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica.

“I wanted the second sacred door to be this one in a prison,” he said. “I wanted all of us, inside and out, to have the opportunity to open the doors of our hearts and understand that hope does not disappoint.”

Members of the prison police band played the official anthem of the Holy Year 2025 upon the pope’s arrival, while about 300 people waited in the church; They included just over 100 women and men serving time in Rebibbia, some of their family members, volunteers, prison staff, the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, and officials from the Italian Ministry of Justice.

The door of the prison’s Our Father Church was decorated with a pine garland of white roses and silver pine cones. Inside the church there was a nativity scene with the baby Jesus in front of the altar. The inmates provided the music with the help of volunteers, while a prisoner and a guard read the readings.

Prayers from believers included a petition for governments to focus on the rehabilitation and support of all people, especially those who have made mistakes.

Pope Francis sat in his wheelchair in front of the church door and prayed: “In the joy of Christmas, let us accept the call of the Lord Jesus to follow him.” He is the door to life, the hope that does not disappoint, the good news that saves .”

“May the opening of this Holy Door be a call for all of us to look to the future with hope,” he said. “Let us open our hearts to the mercy of God in order to celebrate with the whole Church his infinite love.”

The Vatican press office had distributed the text of the homily that the pope had prepared for the mass, but the pope did not use it.

Instead, Pope Francis addressed the inmates directly. He told them that all Christians must remember that “hope does not disappoint, it never disappoints.” I have to think about this too, because in the difficult moments of life you think that everything is over, that nothing can be solved. But hope never disappoints.”

“I like to think of hope as an anchor on the shore, and we who hold the rope are there, safe, because our hope is like an anchor” anchored in the earth. “That’s the message I want to give to all of us, including myself: Don’t lose hope.”

At the end of the Mass, Pope Francis repeated his message before welcoming and shaking hands with all 300 people present in the church. He told the inmates: “Now do not forget the two things we must do with our hands: first, hold on to the rope of hope, hold on to the anchor on the rope and never let go; Second, open your hearts, have an open heart.”