Recovering Pope Francis visits Rome prison to keep annual Holy Week appointment

Pope Francis talks to journalists as he leaves at the end of his visit to the Regina Coeli penitentiary in Rome on Holy Thursday (Andrew Medichini/AP)

Pope Francis has visited Rome’s main prison and met with dozens of inmates as he kept an Easter season appointment to spend Holy Thursday among the least fortunate, even as he continues recovering from a life-threatening bout of pneumonia.

The motorcade carrying Francis entered the Regina Caeli prison in Rome’s Trastevere neighbourhood just before 3pm local time, and the Vatican said Francis would meet with 70 inmates.