“I wanted the second Holy Door I open to be here at a prison,” Pope Francis explained. For the Jubilee of Hope, the first Door to be opened was in St. Peter’s Basilica, then, for the first-time ever, the Pope inaugurated the Jubilee with a Holy Door at a prison.

Arriving at the Rebibbia New Complex Prison in Rome, the Pope spoke about the importance of opening the Door there. In front of the prison's chapel, the Church of Our Father, he explained he wanted everyone to "have the opportunity to fling open the doors to their hearts and to understand that hope never disappoints."

After walking through the Holy Door himself, the Pope presided over Mass in the church. In his homily, Pope Francis reflected on the historic reason for his visit, describing it as “a beautiful gesture of opening.” But more than simply opening doors, the Pope encouraged the prisoners present, to open their hearts. Brotherhood, he said, is open hearts.

The Pope warned against closed, hard hearts, which keep us from living. He explained that the Jubilee gives us the grace to “fling open” our hearts to hope. Even in the most difficult and challenging times, hope does not disappoint.

Pope Francis likened hope to an anchor on the shore, tied securely with rope. “Sometimes, the rope is hard,” he continued, “and it hurts our hands.” Yet even in these moments, the anchor of hope keeps us moving forward because, he said, there is always something ahead of us.

“When the hearts is closed, it becomes hard like stone; it forgets tenderness,” the Pope cautioned. This is why it is necessary to keep the doors of our hearts open, even in the most difficult situations. He challenged the prisoners present to be open to hope, encouraging them saying, “everyone knows how to do it.”

Pope Francis also explained that everyone knows if their heart is closed or half-closed. He closed reminding those present that the Holy Door he opened is “a sign of the door of our heart.” Once again, the Pope asked for prayers, telling the group that he truly prays for them and that it is “not just a figure of speech.”

At the end of the Mass, some of the prisoners and guards presented the Pope with gifts, including a miniature reproduction of the Holy Door, made by the men of the prison with wood from migrant boats and the female prisoners presented him with a basket containing oil, cookies, and ceramics.

The Prison Administration gave Pope Francis a painting of Christ as the Savior by a former prison officer, artist Elio Lucente. The Pope, in turn, gave the prison a parchment commemorating the event.