Argentine Prisoners Send Letters to Leo XIV: What Do They Say and Why?

Inmates at Penitentiary Unit No. 17 in Urdampilleta, Buenos Aires, sent letters to Pope Leo XIV to share their experiences and request a visit during his scheduled trip to Argentina in November.

The letters, which collected 480 signatures, were delivered to the Apostolic Nunciature. The Nunciature confirmed receiving the correspondence and asked for details about the pastoral activities currently held at the prison.

The facility maintains a weekly religious schedule that includes catechism classes on Mondays, Eucharistic Adoration and religious instruction on Tuesdays, and a video-call rosary for prisons across the country on Wednesdays. On Fridays, priests provide liturgical support to the unit's rugby team. The prison chapel was completed through the efforts of Director Eugenia Marisabel Barrionuevo and chaplain Father Mauricio Scoltore, with support from catechist Celia Moncany.