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Pope visits women’s prison in Venice during first trip outside Rome for months Pope visits women’s prison in Venice and tours Vatican show at art Biennale
(about 4 hours later)
Pope Francis, 87, addressed inmates, staff and volunteers at Giudecca jail before a mass in St Mark’s Square Pope Francis, 87, met inmates, staff and volunteers at Giudecca jail during first trip outside Rome for months
Pope Francis visited a prison for women in Venice on Sunday before a mass in the watery city, during his first trip outside Rome for seven months. The Pope has met female prisoners in Venice who are stars of the Vatican’s pavilion at the Biennale contemporary art show, and urged the women to rebuild their lives in the first ever papal visit to one of the world’s biggest art gatherings.
The one-day trip to Venice will be closely watched amid concerns over the fragile health of Francis, 87, who has toured the world extensively in his 11 years as pope but has not travelled since visiting the French city of Marseille in September. Pope Francis, 87, arrived by helicopter in the courtyard of the women’s prison on the island of Giudecca, amid concerns over his health. He has not travelled outside Rome since visiting the French city of Marseille in September.
Francis arrived by helicopter at 8am local time in the courtyard of the women’s prison on the island of Giudecca, and greeted the approximately 80 inmates, staff and volunteers one by one. The pope, who throughout his papacy has spoken up in defence of prisoners and the marginalised, encouraged the women to reconstruct their lives “brick upon brick, together, with determination” during their time in prison.
The pope, who throughout his papacy has spoken up in defence of prisoners and the marginalised, encouraged the imprisoned women to reconstruct their lives “brick upon brick, together, with determination” during their time behind bars.
“Prison is a harsh reality, and problems such as overcrowding, the lack of facilities and resources, and episodes of violence, give rise to a great deal of suffering there,” he said, sitting in front of the prisoners. “But it can also become a place of moral and material rebirth.”“Prison is a harsh reality, and problems such as overcrowding, the lack of facilities and resources, and episodes of violence, give rise to a great deal of suffering there,” he said, sitting in front of the prisoners. “But it can also become a place of moral and material rebirth.”
Francis called on the prison system to “offer detainees the tools and room for human, spiritual, cultural and professional growth, creating the conditions for their healthy reintegration”.Francis called on the prison system to “offer detainees the tools and room for human, spiritual, cultural and professional growth, creating the conditions for their healthy reintegration”.
The pope also toured an art exhibition housed at the prison which considers the daily lives of the inmates through the work of 10 different artists. The exhibit is the Vatican’s entry for this year’s Biennale festival of art, which began last weekend. The pope toured an art exhibition housed at the prison which examines the daily lives of the inmates through the work of 10 different artists. The exhibit is the Vatican’s entry for this year’s Biennale festival of art, which began last weekend.
As some of the women wept, Francis praised the art show. “Paradoxically, a stay in prison can mark the beginning of something new, through the rediscovery of the unsuspected beauty in us and in others, as symbolised by the artistic event you are hosting and the project to which you actively contribute,” he said.
The Vatican exhibit has turned the Giudecca prison – once a convent for reformed prostituted women – into one of the must-see attractions of this year’s Biennale, even though to see it, visitors must reserve in advance and go through a security check. It has become an unusual art world attraction, with visitors greeted at the entrance by Maurizio Cattelan’s wall mural of two giant filthy feet, a work that recalls Caravaggio’s dirty feet or the feet that Francis washes each year in a Holy Thursday ritual that he routinely performs on prisoners.
Francis’s visit represented “a historic moment because he will be the first pope to visit the Venice Biennale,” said the exhibition’s lead curator, José Tolentino de Mendonça.Francis’s visit represented “a historic moment because he will be the first pope to visit the Venice Biennale,” said the exhibition’s lead curator, José Tolentino de Mendonça.
Last year in December, a bout of bronchitis forced the pope to cancel a trip to Dubai, where he was to have addressed UN climate talks. He also pulled out of an Easter event at the last minute in March, after suffering for several weeks from what the Vatican called a “light flu”. Later, during a meeting with young people at the iconic Santa María della Salute basilica, Francis acknowledged the miracle that is Venice, admiring its “enchanting beauty” and tradition as a place of east-west encounters, but warning that it was increasingly vulnerable to climate change and depopulation.
“Venice is at one with the waters upon which it sits,” Francis said. “Without the care and safeguarding of this natural environment, it might even cease to exist.”
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After the prison visit, the pope is due to address young people at the Basilica di Santa María della Salute, a landmark church on the south end of the Grand Canal. From there he will head to St Mark’s Square via a bridge built on a base of boats lined up across the canal and preside over a mass. Venice, sinking under rising sea levels and weighed down by the impact of overtourism, is in the opening days of an experiment to try to limit the sort of day trips that Francis undertook on Sunday.
He is due to depart Venice in the early afternoon, having become the fourth pope to visit the city, after Paul VI (1972), Jean-Paul II (1985) and Benedict XVI (2011). The diocese of Venice is one of the largest in Italy, with 125 parishes, and has close ties with the papacy. Three Venice patriarchs became popes in the 20th century. This weekend, the city launched a new entry fee for daytrippers, aimed at easing the pressure of tourism on the Unesco World Heritage site. As a guest, the head of the Catholic Church was exempt from buying a €5 (£4.25) ticket – but non-resident pilgrims visiting for his mass had to pay.
Francis’s visit comes on the same weekend as Venice launches a new entry fee for daytrippers, aimed at easing the pressure of tourism on the Unesco World Heritage site. As a guest, the head of the Catholic Church will be exempt from buying a €5 (£4.25) ticket – but non-resident pilgrims visiting for his mass will have to pay. Francis acknowledged Venice’s beauty in his homily at a mass before about 10,000 people in the shadow of St Mark’s basilica, one of the most celebrated churches in Italy.
But he said the city also faced an array of challenges, including climate change, the fragility of its cultural heritage, and overtourism. “Moreover, all these realities risk generating … frayed social relations, individualism, and loneliness,” he said.
Last year in December, a bout of bronchitis forced the pope to cancel a trip to Dubai, where he was to have addressed UN climate talks. He also pulled out of an Easter event at the last minute in March, after suffering for several weeks from what the Vatican called a “light flu”.
The pontiff, who uses a wheelchair, has suffered increasing health problems in recent years, from knee pain to surgery for a hernia and on his colon. Despite his health, the Vatican is planning for him an ambitious 12-day trip to Asia in September, taking in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore. Before that, the pope is due to make two other trips within Italy: to Verona in May and Trieste in July.The pontiff, who uses a wheelchair, has suffered increasing health problems in recent years, from knee pain to surgery for a hernia and on his colon. Despite his health, the Vatican is planning for him an ambitious 12-day trip to Asia in September, taking in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore. Before that, the pope is due to make two other trips within Italy: to Verona in May and Trieste in July.