Pope urges inmates to seek ‘rebirth’ during prison visit

Pope Francis is greeted by gondoliers upon his arrival in Venice, Italy (Alessandra Tarantino/AP)

The Pope has urged prisoners to view their time behind bars as a chance for “moral and material rebirth”, as he viewed an art show in a women’s jail in Venice.

Francis travelled to the lagoon city to visit the Holy See’s pavilion at the Biennale contemporary art show and meet with the people who created it.