POPE FRANCIS IS set to dine with inmates at a prison in Naples, Italy when he visits tomorrow.
Some of these will reportedly be coming from a ward housing gay and transgender inmates, some of whom are infected with HIV.
It has been reported by Religion News that the visit had not initially been on the Pope’s schedule but that he had specifically requested it take place.
The lunch will involve 90 inmates who were selected from a lottery of around 1,900 according to the Vatican Insider website.
After the meal the Pontiff intends to meet with each of the inmates individually.
During his time in the Vatican Pope Francis has previously reached out to the prison population. Last year he washed and kissed the feet of a number of prisoners at a youth offenders unit in Rome.
Two of the prisoners were Muslims and two others were female.
He has also previously stated that he does not believe that any crime deserves the death penalty.
Pope Francis has also made comments welcomed by the LGBT community since he appointment, including his comment of ‘who am I to judge?’ on board of a flight from Brazil in 2013.
He has previously privately met with a transgender man from Spain in the Vatican who had written to him about the rejection he was experiencing in his home parish.
However, he has also previously expressed his opposition to same-sex marriage.
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