Prison guards, probation officers and volunteers also authored some of the meditations, which were released in Italian April 3 by Libreria Editrice Vaticana, the Vatican publishing house.

At each of Mexico City’s 13 prisons, hundreds of people are still admitted each visiting day to see their imprisoned family members. For the inmates, they are a vital lifeline.

The pope prayed for prisoners and their families who are unable to visit because of the Italian government's strict social-distancing measures.

Dressed in white vestments to commemorate the feast of St. Joseph March 19, the pope expressed his closeness to prisoners "who suffer so much in this moment of uncertainty and pain."

Pope Francis continues to celebrate daily Mass which is livestreamed because of the coronavirus crisis.

Taken as a whole, the documents give the most significant description yet of how the mass detention camps work in the words of the Chinese government itself.