Prison is where ‘I learned to be a priest,’ chaplain says after 23 years of service

PopeFrancisdecidedtoopenforthefirsttimeinhistoryaHolyDoorintheItalianprisonofRebibbiaduringtheJubileeofHope,agesturethattheprisonerswelcomedasasignofmercy,closeness,andhope. HisvisittoRebibbiasetanexampleofwhathecalledforinthebullSpesNonConfundit:tobe“tangiblesignsofhopeforsomanybrothersandsisterswholiveinconditionsofhardship.” FatherRaffaeleGrimaldi,inspectorgeneralofchaplainsinItalianprisons,emphasizedduringameetingwithjournalistsorganizedbytheISCOMAssociationneartheVaticanthattheHolyFatherknows“thatthosewhohavemademistakesneedustogivethemahandsothattheycangetbackontrack.” ‘Ilearnedtobeapriest’asaprisonchaplainGrimaldileftthechaplaincyintheSecondiglianoprisoninNaples—whereheservedprisonersfor23years—tocoordinatethe230priestswhocareforthenearly62,000prisonersthroughoutItaly,ofwhom20,000areforeigners. Fromhisyearsasachaplai