Pope Leo uses special Mass to highlight prison overcrowding
- Pope Leo XIV strongly criticised prison overcrowding and inadequate inmate rehabilitation programmes during a special Mass at the Vatican.
- The event, marking the final occasion of the Holy Year 2025, was attended by an estimated 6,000 individuals, including detainees, guards, and chaplains from 90 countries.
- In his homily, Pope Leo XIV highlighted poor conditions even in wealthier nations and urged for charity and forgiveness towards prisoners and their custodians.
- He echoed Pope Francis's previous calls for governments worldwide to offer prison amnesties and pardons, a tradition of the Catholic Church's Jubilee.
- The Pope's remarks come as Italy faces a longstanding issue of prison overcrowding, with facilities operating at 135 per cent overcapacity and a significant increase in complaints of inhuman treatment.