Pope’s quotes: Punishment and rehabilitation

A quote from Pope Francis:

“To think that the inner order of a person may be corrected only through punishment, this is not God’s way, this is mistaken. Some think, ‘No, we should punish more, with longer sentences, more!’ This does not solve anything. Imprisoning people because — and forgive me for this — for the mere fact that if they are inside we are safe, this is not useful, it does not help us. The most important thing is what God does with us. He takes us by the hand and He helps us to go on. And this is called hope! And with this hope, with this trust, we can walk on, day by day. And with this faithful love, that accompanies us, truly hope never disappoints.”

-- Address to inmates of Isernia Prison, near Ca Castelpetroso, Italy, July 5, 2014

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