Prisoners welcome Pope’s gift of Gospels

April 17, 2014 - More than a thousand pocket-sized Gospels were distributed among the inmates of Rome’s Regina Coeli prison as a special gift of Pope Francis. Archbishop Konrad Krajewski, the Almoner (alms giver) of Pope Francis carried the Gospels to personally hand them over to the prisoners. “It has been a truly touching encounter,” the Polish archbishop told Vatican Radio. Many inmates wept hearing about the Pope’s affection for them, while several recounted the many difficulties of life behind bars, such as lack of clothes. As the Regina Coeli prison not far from the Vatican, Archbishop Krajewski said the prisoners felt themselves the Pope’s neighbours. Some detainees have asked the Pope pay them a visit offering them a bit of consolation. Speaking to them, the Pope’s almoner spoke about the Divine Mercy, reminding them that God always forgives. During an hour-and-half visit, the archbishop also met many volunteers as well as the prison chaplain, Fr. Vittorio Trani.

The existence of the Vatican Almoner dates back centuries: It is mentioned in a papal bull from the 13th-century Pope Innocent III, and Pope Gregory X, who ruled from 1271-1276, organized it into an official Holy See office for papal charity. The almoners duties are two-fold: carrying out acts of charity, and raising the money to fund them. Up until Archbishop Krajewski came along, the almoner was typically an aging Vatican diplomat who was serving his final years before being allowed to retire at age 75. Pope Francis changed all that, tapping the 50-year-old Pole to be a more vigorous, hands-on extension of himself.

As a priest, Fr. Krajewski was helping in the Vatican Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff in preparations for the Jubilee Year 2000. Later, he became a regular master of papal celebrations. Thus began the Vatican period of his priestly work. After the death of Pope John Paul II in 2005, Fr. Krajewski began to minister to Rome’s homeless and to those seeking spiritual assistance in the Polish language. In the evenings, together with Polish nuns, he began to discreetly distribute food to the homeless around the Vatican walls, without revealing they were leftovers from the tables of the Pope and the Swiss Guard. This service was greatly appreciated by Pope Francis, who asked him to become his “hands and heart,” assuring the poor that “he thinks about them and remembers them.” The Pope thus appointed Krajewski the Almoner of the Office of Papal Charities on Aug. 3, 2013, while making him an archbishop. He was consecrated bishop on Sept. 17, 2013. “The Holy Father wants me to go on the streets.. and to help them in his name,” Arch. Krajewski said. “He said to me: These are my hands, but today they are too short. I need Konrad’s hands to lengthen mine so that I can touch all the poor in Rome. So, I have to be his hands, his heart.” Archbishop Krajewski explained that the Pope said: “You can sell your desk. You don’t need it. You need to get out of the Vatican. Don’t wait for people to come ringing. You need to go out and look for the poor.”