NGO commemorates 50th anniversary of John XXIII's historic visit to Rome prison

Mass was celebrated at St John's Co-Cathedral, in Valletta yesterday to mark the 50th anniversary since Pope John XXIII decided to visit Rome's Regina Coeli prison.

His visit changed the way Catholics looked at prisoners, who began to consider them as people having all the dignity God's children are endowed with.

"Working with these people who have wronged society is, in itself, a service to the community because you are helping to improve that society," said Fr Mark Montebello, from Mid-Dlam ghad-Dawl, the NGO that organised the event.

"Prison work did not start with Pope John in the Catholic Church. The Church has a long tradition of service to prisoners and their families.

What Pope John did was give it a new perspective, a more humane and definitely one closer to our Lord Jesus Christ," he said. The Church in Malta was always close to prisoners both through priests and volunteers who have been working with inmates ever since the Corradino Correctional Facility was opened about 150 years ago, Fr Montebello recalled.

Mass, celebrated by Archbishop Paul Cremona, paid tribute to all the work done by prison warders, guards, volunteers and all those who work among prisoners.

Fr Montebello explained that the true dimension of Pope John XXIII's gesture could only be understood within the historical context in which it was made. Following the unification of Italy, in 1870, Pope Pius IX declared himself the "prisoner of the Vatican" and never stepped out of it.

Almost 90 years later, Pope John XXIII broke this self-imposed imprisonment and, in a message aimed at bringing humankind closer to God, on December 26, 1958, he stepped out of the Vatican and visited the Regina Coeli inmates.

This unprecedented gesture opened the door to many more visits to prisoners by Pope John XXIII's successors, including Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II who also visited Regina Coeli.

In another highly symbolic gesture, Pope John Paul II visited Rebibbia Prison in 1983 where he forgave Mehemed Ali Agca, who was in jail after attempting to assassinate him in St Peter's Square two years earlier.

In a more recent visit, in March, Pope Benedict XVI visited Rome's juvenile detention centre Casal del Marmo.