Panama prisoners build confession boxes for papal visit

Amid swirling sawdust and the smell of fresh paint, the inmates of a grim Panamanian prison are diligently preparing for the upcoming visit of Pope Francis, hoping for forgiveness and praying for freedom.

The sound of nails being deftly hammered into wood mingles with music in the makeshift workshop of the overcrowded La Joya prison, northeast of Panama City.

Around 30 inmates are busy making confession boxes that will be used by pilgrims to confess their sins to priests during the pope's January 22-27 visit to mark the Catholic World Youth Day festival.

A painting on one of the walls at the entrance to La Joya seems oddly prophetic: "God impacts your life, let yourself be led to him."
For one of the prisoners, Jesus Argueles, their project is a "grain of salt" in "something great worldwide, that's going to be happening here in Panama."