Pope Leo XIV brings message of hope and recovery to Devoto inmates

Pope Leo XIV spoke of prisons as places of learning and rehabilitation through faith and hope during a visit to the Federal Prison Complex in Villa Devoto, Buenos Aires City, where he met with 74 inmates, on his fourth and last day in Argentina.

Three men — two current inmates and one former prisoner — shared their testimonies with the pontiff, describing how faith had helped them cope with incarceration and begin rebuilding different aspects of their lives.

“I hope that all of us — myself included — can carry this message in our hearts: a new life is possible. It is the hope we need,” Pope Leo said, visibly moved by their words.

The pontiff arrived at the penitentiary on Wednesday morning, two hours before his final Mass, scheduled for 10 a.m. at the Basilica of Luján, in Buenos Aires province. 

He was welcomed by Security Minister Alejandra Monteoliva and prison authorities. The facility is in the process of being shut down.

The inmates who met the pope were the only ones still being held there and had been specially selected for the occasion. The remaining prisoners, around 1,400 in total, were transferred to a jail in Marcos Paz, Buenos Aires province, over the course of the past month.

The pope’s message Pope Leo thanked the inmates — all wearing white T-shirts and seated in front of him — for being there, and spoke about how reaching one’s limits can help people turn their lives around.

“We often become aware of our limitations through sin and its consequences, whether because we have made a mistake, suffered from an illness, or experienced the death of a loved one,” the Holy Father said. 

“That is why, over the years, we carry within us lessons that remain etched like scars — a reminder of the journey we have taken between freedom and failure, dreams and disappointments.”

He said that while evil can ruin lives, “even when human beings dehumanize themselves and cause tragedies, a small light continues to shine and remains capable of being rekindled through God’s grace” as people walk “paths of conversion and reconciliation.”

Human beings, he affirmed, “do not flourish in spite of their limitations, but often through them.”

“Time spent in this institution can be an opportunity to start anew, making peace with God and rejoining their families and society without fear,” Leo said. “Because experiencing limits, when embraced in truth, does not impoverish human beings, but rather opens them to recognizing the face of God and of others.”

The pontiff stressed that time in prison could lead to “profound changes,” as well as personal growth, learning and the acquisition of new skills and knowledge.

“Let us remember that visiting prisoners is a work of mercy to which we are all called. I encourage you to strengthen your faith and anchor yourselves in Christian hope so that you may face the many challenges that arise each day, so that this environment may become more humane and respectful and truly foster the recovery and reintegration of people into the community,” he said.