Pope Francis' secret donation revealed after his passing
Last week, Pope Francis made an unexpected visit to Italy's most overcrowded prison, Regina Coeli, where he greeted the inmates. Following the death of the cleric, it was revealed that this visit was part of an extraordinary gesture.
Throughout his 12-year papacy, Pope Francis has frequently visited prisons, often scheduling these visits just before Easter to convey his good wishes to the prisoners. This year was no different. Francis visited Regina Coeli and spent approximately 30 minutes with a group of 70 individuals. During the visit, he expressed his desire to be with them and shared that he keeps them and their families in his prayers, according to Business Insider.
It wasn't until after the Pope's death that news of a particular action he took came to light. This information was revealed by Benoni Ambarus, the auxiliary bishop of Rome and the papal delegate for prisons, who accompanied Francis on his final visit.
"I’ve almost used up all the money"
The Italian service Rai News reported on the event, with the information made public by Benoni Ambarus. It turned out that Pope Francis decided to financially support a pasta factory project planned for the Casal del Marmo prison.
"I told him that we have a large mortgage for this pasta factory and if we manage to pay it off, we'll lower the price of the pasta, sell more, and hire more people," shared Benoni Ambarus in a statement to the ANSA agency.
The Pope reportedly said: "I’ve almost used up all the money, but I still have a little left in the account," as quoted by Business Insider.
The cleric donated 200,000 euros, which is approximately 215,000 dollars.
