Italian prisoners flash mob for Francis and mercy

Dozens of prisoners have staged a flash mob inside an Italian men’s prison to celebrate Pope Francis’ calls for prison reform and greater tolerance and acceptance of the world’s migrants, reports the Religion News Service.

Around 70 inmates from diverse faiths and ethnic backgrounds danced a Zumba routine titled “Pope is Pop” last Thursday at the low-security district prison in the northern city of Ferrara.

They included Catholics, Muslims, and Orthodox prisoners from Italy and other countries.
Among the lyrics the inmates sang while they danced were “Tonight you are not alone, Francis is there, everywhere. Hallelujah!” and “Pope is pop, our hope is pope.”

One inmate appears in the video saying: “This small world inside our prison, which also has many foreigners from various faiths, makes you realise that we are all equal.”

“The Pope has opened the doors of the Church, embracing the most diverse cultures, accepting and welcoming people from different religious faiths,” a Muslim prisoner who remained anonymous said in a statement released by Igor Nogarotto, who organised the event.

“He is showing us we can live in harmony under the same roof despite our diversity, really as we are living here today.”

Saying Francis was a “man of the people,” Mr Nogarotto said the initiative was a “multi-ethnic, secular prayer” to mark the end of the Pope’s Holy Year of Mercy.