Bishop urges second chances for persons deprived of liberty

The country’s persons deprived of liberty (PDL) should always be given second chances, a bishop said on Sunday, 25 October.

Military Ordinariate of the Philippines Bishop Oscar Jaime Florencio, speaking on the occasion of Prison Awareness Sunday, said: “No one is forgotten, no one is beyond redemption, and everyone deserves the opportunity for healing and transformation.”

“To our brothers and sisters deprived of liberty, may you always remember that your past does not define your future,” he said.

“You remain beloved children of God, worthy of dignity, compassion, forgiveness, and the opportunity of a new beginning,” he added.

Florencio recalled that the late Pope Francis, in Fratelli Tutti No. 266, stated that “punishment must never be motivated by vengeance but should promote healing and reintegration into society.”

He said this challenges society to see correctional institutions not merely as places of confinement but as “places where lives can be renewed and hope restored.”

The prelate reminded the public that “God’s infinite love and mercy” has no boundaries, reaches prison walls, and embraces every person regardless of circumstances, failures or past mistakes.

“The Second Vatican Council, in Gaudium et Spes (No. 27), teaches us to respect every human person without exception,” Florencio said.

“Likewise, the Catechism of the Catholic Church (No. 1700) reminds us that human dignity is rooted in our creation in God’s image and likeness,” he added.