Source: Los Angeles Times
On July 10, 2000, the Los Angeles Times published an article about Pope John Paul II's July 9th mass as part of "Jubilee in the Prisons of the World." The day was intended to draw attention to the world's prisoners and to call for a "worldwide reduction of jail sentences as a sign of goodwill during the millennial Holy Year." Spiritual messages of healing and forgiveness were delivered by Roman Catholic bishops across the continents as they celebrated Sunday Mass for the incarcerated. The central theme throughout the services was one "of forgiveness and reconciliation by crime victims, family members of prisoners, and inmates themselves." For some, such as 20-year-old inmate Jesus Orbina, the message was simple. "You have not been forgotten," the suicidal man was told, "People out there love you."