With special permission, prisoners travel to Rome for the jubilee The last major event of the Jubilee of Hope was dedicated to prisonersaround the world, some of whom during the past weekend were able to experience freedom and fulfill a dream: to go see Pope Leo XIV. V\u00edctor Aguado, director of prison ministry in Valencia, Spain, accompanied a group of prisoners to the Eternal City, many of whom had spent more than 12 years behind bars. Thanks to special permission, they were able to travel and become living witnesses that \u201chope breaks down walls and that dignity cannot be taken away.\u201d In a conversation with ACI Prensa, CNA\u2019s Spanish-language news partner, Aguado recounted the details of the \u201cintense, emotional, and spiritual\u201d trip that will forever mark the lives of the men and women who have been incarcerated. The group was composed of a total of 13 people from Valencia, including prisoners, volunteers, and the chaplain. Six of them were inmates in the second and third degree of the prison system \u2014 regimens that combine incarceration with controlled outings \u2014 so they had to obtain a series of permits from the Treatment Board, the General Secretariat, and the Oversight Institutions. \u201cIt was a long bureaucratic process, but we didn\u2019t have any problems,\u201d Aguado explained. He explained that they selected the prisoners they have known for a long time. Those in the third degree of the prison system enjoy a semi-release regimen and live in halfway houses, while those in the second degree usually go to workshops and cooperate with everything the prison ministry proposes. \u201cThey are people of faith who attend Mass, and we knew that, given their situation and attitude, they needed this and wouldn\u2019t turn it down,\u201d he commented. \u201cThey wanted to be very well prepared, free of burdens, and participate in Sunday Mass completely cleansed and at peace with themselves,\u201d said Aguado, who also highlighted their passing through the Holy Door as one of the most emotional moments of the jubilee. \u201cWith the pilgrimage, the prisoners assumed a new responsibility and a new path, a new life, and the feeling that now they have to do things right.\u201d He also highlighted their excitement at seeing the pope, since for them \u201che is the representation of the Lord on earth.\u201d The Sunday Mass with the Holy Father, Aguado explained, was \u201cvery simple, and although it was in Italian, it was perfectly understandable.\u201d \u201cHope goes beyond, it breaks down walls wherever it may be, and the dignity of people cannot be taken away, and that is what they conveyed during the three days we were in Rome. These were very intensely personal experiences, and we could feel their joy; everyone had a look of peace,\u201d he noted. For Aguado \u2014 who has been working with prisoners for 14 years \u2014 the fact that this event closed the Jubilee of Hope is no mere coincidence. \u201cThe world of prisons is not visible, and in some way we must begin to consider that people who have been judged eventually get out and have to reintegrate into normal life, and that depends on society.\u201d \u201cWe know that the Lord forgives everything, so who are we to not forgive these people and keep on stigmatizing them? They are called ex-convicts, but they are nothing more than persons, with all their dignity and freedom,\u201d he affirmed. Although he assured that the Lord \u201cis always with them and walks with them,\u201d he emphasized the urgency of recognizing the prisoners as living members of the Church and appealed to the responsibility of every Christian: \u201cSometimes we take the works of mercy for granted, but we don\u2019t always put them into practice. The Lord challenges us: \u2018I was in prison,\u2019 and the question remains the same: \u2018Did you come to see me?\u2019\u201d There are many lives that need to be rescued The Italian priest Father Raffaele Grimaldi, who left his chaplaincy at the Secondigliano prison in Naples \u2014 where he served the inmates for 23 years \u2014 to coordinate the 230 priests who minister to the nearly 62,000 detainees throughout Italy, also participated in this historic jubilee. Speaking to ACI Prensa, he noted that the event \u201cis a strong reminder that the Church wants to bring God\u2019s love and mercy to prisons, who goes in search of those who are lost.\u201d According to Grimaldi, this jubilee \u201chas brought to light the most difficult situations we are experiencing in our prisons and the plight of the prisoners\u201d including overcrowding, lack of resources, suicides, neglect, and \u201cabove all, the lack of acceptance from society.\u201d The priest brought some prisoners from different Italian prisons before Pope Leo XIV, especially young people and one man sentenced to life in prison. \u201cIt was a moment of great joy for them,\u201d he commented. \u201cEvery prisoner needs to constantly hear a word of mercy: from people who do not judge, who do not point fingers, who do not condemn, but who embrace,\u201d he stated. He also emphasized that this jubilee has not been an isolated event, since throughout the year there has been spiritual preparation in the correctional facilities, where \u201cproclaiming hope is a powerful message that resonates deeply in the hearts of all.\u201d Grimaldi admitted that these individuals have \u201cmade mistakes\u201d and are serving a sentence for them; however, he urged people to \u201creach out to them so that they can take up their lives again and change,\u201d with justice accompanied by mercy, \u201cso that justice itself does not become vengeance.\u201d During his years of service in the prisons, he said he has encountered many people who have traveled on a beautiful spiritual journey, \u201clike a young Albanian man who received the sacrament of baptism on Dec. 12.\u201d \u201cThis makes us understand that in our prisons there are many lives that need to be rescued and helped, because if these opportunities don\u2019t exist, the prisoner dies inside, and we also kill the hope that is in their heart.\u201d This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA\u2019s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA. Receive the most important news from EWTN Vatican via WhatsApp. It has become increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social media. Subscribe to our free channel today EWTN Vatican on WhatsApp Almudena Mart\u00ednez-Bordi\u00fa Would you like to receive the latest updates on the Pope and the Vatican Receive articles and updates from our EWTN Newsletter. More news related to this article Pope Francis Urges All Catholics To Be \u2018Missionaries Of Hope\u2019 Through Prayer And Action Cardinal Kurt Koch On Christian Unity: Faith, Challenges, And The Future Of Ecumenism Cardinal Filoni: \u2018We remain with the people\u2019 in war\u2011torn Middle East Sacred Heart encyclical \u2018key\u2019 to Pope Francis\u2019 pontificate, theologian says Hope at the center of World Day for Jewish-Catholic Dialogue LIVE from the Vatican | Pope Francis\u2019 Easter Sunday Mass & \u201cUrbi et Orbi\u201d Blessing<\/p>\n