Pope Francis Will Have Special Chair for Prison Visit

When the pope makes his planned visit to the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility while in Philadelphia, he’s going to have a very special place to sit.

Inmates pose near a chair made for Pope Francis in this picture from Philly.com.

Staff, guards, and inmates of the city’s correctional institution have been working together for weeks to make the pontiff a chair fit for a king. The chair is six feet tall, hand-carved out of black walnut, and represents the prison’s appreciation for the pope and his ministry towards the incarcerated. The pope plans on meeting with about 100 prisoners and their families during his trip to the city, which will take place over the weekend of September 26 – 27.

The gift should be meaningful to the pope, but the inmates who have worked on the chair say that it holds a special place in their hearts as well. People magazine ran a story on the chair and quoted inmate Rameen Perrin, aged 21, who said that he was proud to have been chosen to work on the special chair because it showed that his hard work has been noticed. Another inmate, Anthony Newman, said that even if he never gets to see the pope sit in the chair, he was happy to know he had a part in creating the chair. Inmates were chosen to work on the chair based on their skill, work ethic, and reliability.

The chair was created through the prison system’s PhilaCor program, which connects inmates with shops throughout the city in order to provide life skills and training for inmates that they will hopefully use when they are free again.

One lucky inmate will be chosen to present the chair to Pope Francis, although that person has not yet been chosen.