Thursday, August 13, 2009

Vatican: Pope urged to celebrate mass in Rome prison








Vatican City, 13 August (AKI) - The chaplain of Rome's severely overcrowded Rebibbia prison has urged Pope Benedict XVI to celebrate mass there for the religious Assumption of Mary holiday on Saturday. "Dear Pope Benedict, after praying for the soul of another prisoner who died here yesterday, this is my dream," Sandro Spriano wrote in an open letter to the Italian daily, Corriere della Sera, on Thursday.

"That you, Holy Father, arrive at Rebibbia on Saturday without an an escort or insignia... that we listen devotedly to your homily.

"The inmates will give you a round of applause that will last at least 20 minutes," Spriano said.

He said of the 1,600 prisoners pairs of inmates were being crammed into single-occupancy cells and four into cells designed for two people - for at least 20 hours per day.

A 45-year-old and a 51-year-old prisoner have died in the jail in recent days, Spriano said.

"Maybe they would have survived, had they received better medical care," he said.
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