Bishop Martin Hayes, Irish Bishops’ Liaison to the Irish Prison Service and to the Northern Ireland Prison Service, asked for prayers to be said at Mass this weekend for prisoners and their families. He said prisoners are vulnerable to mental health difficulties, but prayer and spirituality help them to manage their stress and anxiety.
These prayers would be “in communion with Pope Leo,” who is celebrating Mass in St Peter’s Basilica on December 14, to celebrate the Jubilee for Prisoners. “I am inviting all Christians to pray for prisoners and for their families in a special way this Sunday,” the bishop said. He also asked for prayers for those prisoners “who may not have loved ones to support or pray for them.”
“I know from my pastoral experience working with prisoners that they are vulnerable to suffering from acute mental health difficulties,” Bishop Hayes said. “However, it is also clear that faith is very precious to women and men who are incarcerated, and prayer and spirituality have been found to help manage prisoner stress and anxiety.”
The bishop agrees that people who cause harm must take responsibility for their actions, express regret and make compensation. “At the same time, every person has an indelible dignity and should always be treated as such.”
The Jubilee for Prisoners, Bishop Hayes said, “helps us find hope in God’s love for us, as both victims, and those convicted of crimes. In celebrating the Jubilee of Prisoners, we find hope in steadfast, faith-filled advocacy to improve prison conditions, support the rights of the victims of crime, and to ensure rehabilitation of those in prison and reintegrate them into society.”
