Sewing threads of hope in a Peruvian prison

By Giada Aquilino

“It is simply a very beautiful way to feel part of the visit His Holiness is about to make to Peru,” says Silvia Alayo, executive secretary of the Commission for Social Action of the Peruvian Bishops’ Conference, as she describes the latest initiative at Chorrillos Women’s Penitentiary in Lima.

Pope Leo XIV’s upcoming apostolic journey will take him to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from November 6 to 17, and as part of a state-run reintegration project and in anticipation of Pope Leo’s visit to their country, inmates are sewing velvet dolls depicting the Pope and making rosaries, necklaces and other items to be sold outside the prison.

Facilitating reintegration and rehabilitation

“This is an initiative under Peru’s ‘Productive Prisons’ programme,” explains Alayo, whose Commission also oversees prison ministry. The programme is a public policy initiative involving the country’s prison system and the private sector, aimed at facilitating the social reintegration and rehabilitation of people deprived of their liberty through work.

In practice, it provides “an opportunity for vocational training, but also for employment within the prison,” which is essential to “achieving the purpose of a prison sentence.”

As Church, Alayo observes, “we greatly appreciate and support this state initiative, which emerged over the past six to eight years but builds on the experience of prison production workshops, where the Church had already begun working decades ago.”

A way to support families

With just days to go before Pope Leo XIV arrives in Peru, the rhythmic tapping of sewing machines and the sound of scissors mark the days behind the steel bars of Chorrillos for 78 inmates. For the women, this work offers a mental escape and a way to support their families from a distance, while trying to maintain close ties, especially with their children.

“We may not be physically with them, but we are there in spirit and in our hearts,” one inmate told Reuters news agency.

Critical detention conditions

“In Peru, we have a prison population of nearly 107,000,” Alayo continues. “The country has 69 prisons, where detention conditions are extremely critical because of the current level of overcrowding. Nationwide, the rate stands at around 154%.”

Women account for approximately 5% of the total prison population, and there are very few facilities exclusively for women, most of which are concentrated in Lima.

In February this year, Chorrillos prison housed more than 1,500 people across two facilities, one of which is a maximum-security unit. Its original capacity was just over 700.

Overcrowding, Alayo adds, is “not just an infrastructure problem.” It also affects “the dignity, health and coexistence of inmates, as well as their real opportunities for social reintegration.”

The offences for which women are imprisoned include various crimes against property. “There is theft and aggravated theft,” says the executive secretary of the bishops’ Commission for Social Action, “but the most common offence is drug trafficking.”

As in the rest of Latin America, she explains, there is a phenomenon known as the “feminisation” of these crimes, as a large proportion of women in prison are serving sentences for drug-related offences.

“When we examine their cases — and I stress that this is not intended to justify the crime, but to shed light on the circumstances of the women in prison — we find that they have become involved out of necessity, perhaps because they are the heads of their households, or for emotional reasons, because their partners belong to violent or criminal circles.”

The Church’s commitment

In this context, the Church’s commitment has two dimensions. “On the one hand, there is spiritual and faith-based accompaniment, helping people discover the meaning of life through the transcendent,” Alayo explains.

“On the other, there is the promotion of the whole person, including access to work, not only for its therapeutic value but also based on recognising the right to work of people deprived of their liberty.”

Over many years of accompanying and supporting inmates, the Church has gained experience in vocational training programmes and production workshops making toys, ceramics, clothing and shoes. These activities enable people, particularly women, to provide for their families even while in prison.

“Many of our prison ministry groups work with the National Penitentiary Institute, which is responsible for managing the prisons, helping connect it with business owners seeking skilled workers who can contribute to the growth of their companies,” Alayo adds.

There are also “parishes that commission the production of crosses, rosaries and T-shirts for the young people involved in their pastoral activities.”

Joy for the Pope’s visit

As the Pope’s visit approaches, there is considerable excitement, Alayo says, adding that “There is great affection for our Pope Leo XIV. We consider him one of us.”

On August 24, 2015, he was granted Peruvian citizenship through naturalisation.

“He is very well known and loved here. The women in prison, particularly those at Chorrillos but not only them, want to feel that they are part of his visit in some way. So they are making dolls, rosaries, mugs and T-shirts bearing the Pope’s image. It is a way of feeling free to welcome the Pontiff.”

When he was elected Pope, “letters were written to Pope Leo XIV at Chorrillos prison, Masses of thanksgiving were celebrated and poems were composed. Then, when it became known that the Holy Father would be coming to Peru, there was immense joy,” accompanied by prayers for his health.

One inmate, Milagros, expressed her certainty that in Lima, “his spirit will reach them” all the way to Chorrillos.

“We will continue to pray for him,” she said, “and to feel that we are brothers and sisters of our Peruvian Pope.”