Pope Francis---one final kindness to men and women behind bars

Pope Francis has gone to his eternal home. But his love for prisoners lives on! Recently this headline appeared in the National Catholic Reporter: 

In final act of mercy, Pope Francis donates entire private bank account to prisoners! 

Writes Camillo Barone, NCR staff reporter: “At the end of his life, Pope Francis made one last symbolic gesture: He emptied his personal bank account to donate 200,000 euros to the prisoners he had long championed. It was a final act of love toward those he had called his 'brothers and sisters behind bars.'" 

I don’t know how many essays I’ve written about this pope, a personal hero of mine. Each year when Holy Thursday came around, I was touched anew when Pope Francis made his annual trek to prison where, in touching ceremonies, he washed the feet of inmates. 

Holy Thursday arrived shortly before the pope’s death this year. But, writes the NCR journalist, “Not able to wash feet this year on Holy Thursday, even as his strength visibly declined, Francis refused to abandon the most forgotten members of society during Holy Week. The Holy Father dragged his body to Regina Coeli for one last visit to the historic Roman prison."

It's no secret that the pope’s bond with incarcerated men and women was a core feature of his ministry. From the very start of his papacy he made headlines not only  by washing the feet of inmates on Holy Thursdays, but also by calling for greater compassion within justice systems.

The National Catholic Reporter says that, in his final months, “Francis pushed even harder for symbolic and concrete gestures to bring hope to the incarcerated. One of the most significant achievements was the opening of a Holy Door at the Rebibbia prison — a rare privilege previously reserved for the Vatican's own St. Peter's Basilica. The idea, born from the inmates themselves, was enthusiastically embraced by Francis as a powerful way to ‘reignite the light’ within prison walls.” 

Then came this final act, as told by a Vatican bishop: 

Beyond the official ceremonies he attended at prisons, Francis' care for prisoners was profoundly personal. When asked to support prison ministry initiatives financially, even as Vatican resources dwindled, he did not hesitate to dip into his personal savings. "Don't worry, I have something in my account," he said, before transferring 200,000 euros for the needs of the incarcerated — money he might have kept for his own use in his final days. 

A profound example for all religious leaders. A perfect example for you and me.