ROME -- Pope Francis inaugurated his Holy Year at Rome’s main prison on Thursday, bringing a message of hope to inmates and involving them in the Catholic Church’s once every quarter-century celebration that is expected to bring about 32 million pilgrims to Rome.

Pope Francis urged inmates to never give up hope as he inaugurated the Vatican’s Jubilee Year at the high-security Rebibbia prison on the outskirts of Rome on Thursday.

Pope Francis inaugurated the Holy Year at Rome's Rebibbia prison, delivering a message of hope to inmates. As part of the Jubilee, celebrated every 25 years, Francis emphasized the importance of prisoners in the church's celebrations.