Visiting the sick and the imprisoned are works of mercy that not only benefit the suffering and the abandoned, but benefit the visitors who are enriched by being with those who suffer like Christ, Pope Francis said.

While the works of mercy are ancient, they still are relevant today for those who are deprived of freedom and "suffer one of the greatest hardships of human beings," the Pope said on November 9 at his weekly general audience.

When the living conditions "often devoid of humanity" in which many prisoners are housed are added to the equation, "then it is indeed the case that a Christian should feel the need to do everything to restore their dignity," he said.