A Chair Fit for Pope Francis, Built by Prisoners in Philadelphia | Mashable News

Inmates in Philadelphia are making a chair for Pope Francis ahead of his upcoming visit with prisoners in September. Francis plans to meet with about 100 inmates and their relatives at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility during his visit to the city on September 27.

Inmates at the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center, one of ten such jails in the city prison system, had a chance on Aug. 24 to show off the unfinished chair while in its final stages.

"I really don't know how it will be presented to him, or at what point will he actually sit in the chair," said Anthony Newman, Assistant director of PHILACOR, the ten industry shops located throughout Philadelphia. "But the fact that I got the privilege to do the chair is good enough if I never see him sit in the chair. So I'm happy."

Pope Francis has previously spoken out against capital punishment, and calls life sentences a "hidden death penalty." With this visit he will be closing out the triennial World Meeting of Families conference.

Additional reporting by The Associated Press

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