杏MAP导航

By Seán-Patrick Lovett

You know you鈥檝e arrived at the prison when you turn a corner and suddenly come up against a 12-foot high concrete wall topped with rolls of barbed wire. Through the guarded security gates you catch a glimpse of low buildings all painted different colours.

They call it a Detention Centre. But it鈥檚 still a prison. They call the young detainees Juveniles in Custody. But they鈥檙e still prisoners. The youngest is 14, the oldest 25. They are here to serve sentences of one to twelve years for crimes that range from petty theft, to drug dealing, to murder. And they鈥檝e been preparing for 杏MAP导航 Francis鈥� visit for months.

Preparations

They manufactured the chair on which the 杏MAP导航 sat in their carpentry shop. They prepared the different types of bread they gifted him in their bakery. They spent hours practising the songs they sang for him, painting a picture for him, carving a pastoral staff for him, and months making sure that all and everything would be perfectly in its place. And it was. 

Penitential Service

By visiting the young detainees, the 杏MAP导航 was symbolically including all those young people who, for whatever reason, are unable to attend the World Youth Day celebrations. This gave special poignancy to the occasion and underscored the liturgical aspect of the encounter, which took the form of a Penitential Service. In fact, the 杏MAP导航 himself heard the confessions of five young people, and dedicated his homily to the themes of change, conversion, and encouragement.

The 杏MAP导航鈥檚 Homily

鈥淗e receives sinners and eats with them鈥�. 杏MAP导航 Francis began with the grumbling and complaining of the Pharisees, mumbling their disapproval of Jesus鈥� behaviour and trying to discredit Him. By doing so, said the 杏MAP导航, they blocked 鈥渁ny kind of change, conversion and inclusion鈥�. 杏MAP导航 Francis contrasted this attitude with the way Jesus 鈥渁pproaches and engages鈥�, always giving us another chance. Sometimes it鈥檚 easier to post 鈥渟igns and labels鈥�, the 杏MAP导航 continued, 鈥渢hat ultimately serve only to divide: these people are good and those are bad; these people are the righteous and those the sinners鈥�.

In a series of off-the-cuff remarks, 杏MAP导航 Francis kept returning to the theme of encouragement. Pay no attention to those who tell you 鈥測ou can鈥檛 do it鈥�, he said, describing them like cloth-eating moths. Tell them, and tell yourself especially, the 杏MAP导航 insisted, that 鈥測ou can!鈥�.  

God鈥檚 love, said 杏MAP导航 Francis, 鈥渉as no time for complaining鈥�: God鈥檚 love initiates a process of 鈥渋ntegration and transformation, healing and forgiveness鈥�, he said. By eating with sinners, Jesus 鈥渟hatters the mentality that excludes, isolates, and falsely separates 鈥榯he good and the bad鈥欌��. Because 鈥渆ach of us is much more than our labels鈥�, said 杏MAP导航 Francis.

鈥淎 community grows sick when it lives off relentless, negative and heartless complaining鈥�, he continued. 鈥淎 society is fruitful when it is able to generate processes of inclusion and integration鈥�building a future through community, education and employment.鈥�

A model of rehabilitation

In reality, this is exactly what the Pacora Juvenile Detention Centre outside Panama City tries to do. It鈥檚 one of the reasons why this particular penitentiary is considered a model of rehabilitation and reintegration in Panama, and beyond.

Its halls and passageways are plastered with posters encouraging the values of 鈥淩espect鈥�, 鈥淭rust鈥�, and 鈥淩esponsibility鈥�. A team of dedicated psychologists and social workers uses creativity and empowerment skills to prepare their young charges for a life beyond the prison walls 鈥� hoping that once they leave, they lose their labels, and never come back.