One of our missionaries, Fr. Gianfranco Graziola, is the president of the Brazilian Catholic Church prison ministry. He is responsible for the pastoral care to more than eight hundred thousand persons held in jail throughout the twenty six States that make up Brazil.
He is confronted daily with situations of degradation, lack of justice and lack of humanity. Surely, the prison authorities do their best, but their task is difficult: the institutions they run host three hundred thousand people beyond their capacity. Programs aimed at improving the living conditions within jails and at the human recuperation of the inmates preventing them from falling back into committing the same crimes are reduced to a minimum.
Moved by the words of the Gospel, “I was in prison and you visited me” (Mt. 25, 36), Father Gianfranco would like to encourage all the catholic prison chaplains to join in a three year program concentrated on significantly improving the prisoners conditions and opening the possibility of a different future for them. The program foresees the creation of virtual circles among the prisoners, their families and reformed prisoners.
Through these circles, chaplains help prisoners to listen to one another, grow empathetic towards each others’ issues, stay connected to their families, weave friendly relationships and provide mutual support. Chaplains will teach techniques of reconciliation, overcoming grudges and forgiveness. Their sources are: the Gospel, Pope Francis Encyclical “Fratelli Tutti”, practical advice from family members and the experience of prisoners who have not relapsed.
The overall cost of the course amounts to $23,500. Father Gianfranco has found $8,000 and has come to us for the remaining funds. We have promised him that we would do an appeal to our benefactors to help him find the money he lacks in order for his project for prisoners all over Brazil to become true. Through this, prisoners will see a future of light in the darkness of prison.