Pope Urges Prisoners to Make a Fresh Start

Pope Leo XIV visited one of Spain’s largest prisons during his trip to the country, urging inmates to take responsibility for their actions and work toward a better future.

At the Brians 1 prison near Barcelona, which houses around 1,000 inmates, the pope stressed that a person’s past does not have to define their future and that everyone has the opportunity to change the course of their life.

The visit was the first by a pope to a Spanish prison.

Leo XIV, the first American pope, is on a week-long tour of Spain focused on the consequences of growing global conflicts and the treatment of migrants.

During the visit, one female inmate spoke about her struggle with faith and the pain her actions had caused her family, describing the pope’s visit as an extraordinary moment in her life.

The rights and dignity of prisoners have been a recurring theme of Leo XIV’s papacy. He also visited a prison during a trip to Africa in April.

His predecessor, Pope Francis, likewise made prison outreach a priority and visited a prison in Rome just days before his death.

Later on Wednesday, Leo XIV is scheduled to inaugurate a new tower of Barcelona’s Sagrada Família basilica.

(reuters, bak)