(24 Aug 2015) Inmates in Philadelphia are creating a chair to give to Pope Francis when he visits prisoners next month.
Officials on Monday offered an early peek at the unfinished piece at the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center, one of six jails in the city prison system.
The chair will soon be upholstered by inmates at nearby Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility, where Francis plans to meet with about 100 inmates and some of their relatives during a two-day trip to the city.
Five prisoners selected for their skills, reliability and work ethic hand-carved the wooden chair, which stands nearly 6 feet tall, 2 feet wide and 2 feet deep.
It took about two weeks to carve out of 10 planks of walnut. On Monday, it was being oiled, sanded and refinished by several other inmates before it goes for upholstering.
Francis has made prison ministry a focus of his pontificate. He meets frequently with inmates and on two occasions washed prisoners' feet during pre-Easter rituals, and visited a notorious Bolivian prison in July.
He has denounced capital punishment and abuse of pre-trial detention, and he has called life sentences a "hidden death penalty."
The Philadelphia inmates meeting with the pope have not yet been selected, but will likely include at least some who made the chair, prison officials said.
Prisons Commissioner Louis Giorla said previously that good behavior would be one factor in selecting those who will meet the pope. The audience will include inmates of many faiths, officials said.
Giorla said he was glad the pope asked to meet with inmates' families because "we feel that community ties, family reunification is one of our goals."
In January, Curran-Fromhold inmates made a special chair for Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput when he celebrated Mass at the facility.
Francis is scheduled to visit Philadelphia on Sept. 26 and 27 to close out the World Meeting of Families, a triennial Catholic conference focused on strengthening family bonds.
In addition to the prison visit, Francis plans to give a speech at Independence Hall, attend an outdoor family festival and lead a public Mass for more than 1 million pilgrims.
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