Female inmates invite pope for coffee

(ANSA) – Naples, November 29 – Inmates at a women’s prison in southern Italy have invited Pope Francis to “come and have a coffee with us”. The invitation came in the form of a letter from workers at a co-op that roasts coffee inside the District Prison of Pozzuoli, sent through the cardinal of nearby Naples, Crescenzio Sepe. “Your Holiness, we know how much you care about inmates, and we would like to express, from the bottom of our hearts, our desire to host you so that we may enjoy the pleasure of God’s mercy,” read the letter. “We know we can offer nothing but bars and gated hallways, but along those corridors and behind those bars there are 200 women who, like Mary Magdalene, will kneel before you, awaiting to be told: ‘Go, and sin no more'”. Since his coronation in March Francis has made numerous visits to jails, including to a juvenile-detention center in Rome on Maundy Thursday to wash the feet of inmates just weeks after being named pope. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED