Italy's Radical Party thanked
Pope Francis after the head of the Catholic Church on Sunday
called for governments to grant amnesties to prisoners whenever
possible.
At the weekend more than 17,000 detainees in prisons all
over Italy took part a two-day hunger strike in support of the
Radical Party's March for Amnesty, which took place in Rome on
Sunday.
The fourth March for Amnesty was in honour of a special
Jubilee Mass for prisoners and dedicated to Pope Francis and
late Radical leader leader Marco Pannella.
Radical Party representatives Rita Bernardini, Irene Testa
and Maurizio Bolognetti, who had been on hunger strike for 28
days, marched to Saint Peter's Square, where they were greeted
by the pope's request to all governments to consider an act of
clemency for eligible prisoners.
On Sunday Francis held Mass for 1,000 serving prisoners at
the Vatican from 12 countries and told them that they should
never give up hope.
He also called for leaders to respect inmates' dignity and
and to abolish the death penalty where it is in force.
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