One of the key Catholic phrases about Pope Francis is his “theology of encounter.”
That’s a fancy way of saying that he tries to meet people where they’re at — and there’s no better example then visiting a prison.
On Friday morning, the Pope went to Santa Cruz-Palmasola, the largest — and most notorious — prison in Bolivia. The men’s facility, where the Pope met prisoners and their families, holds about 2,800 inmates.
“I could not leave Bolivia without seeing you,” Francis told the prisoners, earning a hearty cheer.
Francis called for some reforms, including access to education and overcrowding. But perhaps the most poignant moment occurred when the Pope got personal.
“You may be asking yourselves, ‘Who is this man standing before us?'” Francis said. “I would like to reply to that question with something absolutely certain about my own life: The man standing before you is a man who has been forgiven. A man who was, and is, saved from his many sin.”
After the Pope’s blockbuster speech Thursday night, it was another side of Francis showing forth: the humble pastor who looks for lost sheep, not the fiery prophet who denounces the pursuit of money as “the devil’s dung.”
One of the most interesting aspects of the Pope’s prison visit was his body language. He was leaning forward, attentive, making eye contact with the three prisoners who shared the stage with him and delivered short speeches. It was quite a contrast from Thursday night, when Francis appeared a bit disinterested during Bolivian President Evo Morales’ very long speech.
I don’t want to read too much into this — Morales speech was at the end of a long day for Francis, but it’s worth noting how sincerely the Pope seemed to embrace the prisoners, which you can see in the video at the top of this page.
I’ve been keeping a running log of Francis’ weeklong trip to Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay — I call it Pope’s notes — and you can read more here.