NNA - VENICE, April 28 (Reuters) - Pope Francis made his first trip out of Rome for seven months on Sunday with a packed visit to Venice that took in an art exhibition, a prison and a Mass, with the 87-year pontiff acknowledging that life could be hard.

Hobbled by recent bouts of ill-heath, the pope read out three speeches and a homily during his five-hour stay, moving around the lagoon city by wheelchair, golf buggy and motorlaunch.

Although he appeared well and spoke in a clear voice, he also made a rare acknowledgement of the strains of the job.

"Please pray for me because this work is not easy," he told thousands of faithful gathered in St Mark's Square.

He started the day by flying by helicopter into a women's prison where the Vatican has set up an exhibition that is part of the Venice Biennale -- a prestigious international art show that has never been visited by a pope before.

The unusual decision to house the Holy See pavilion in a jail highlighted Francis' repeated calls for society to rally around the poor and neglected, including prison populations.

"Prison is a harsh reality, and problems such as overcrowding, the lack of facilities and resources, and episodes of violence, give rise to a great deal of suffering. But it can also become a place of moral and material rebirth," he told inmates and guards on Sunday.

"Let us not forget that we all have mistakes to be forgiven and wounds to heal," he said, before meeting some of the artists who put together the exhibition entitled "Through My Eyes".

Francis then addressed a group of young Venetians in front of the Santa Maria della Salute basilica, urging them not to spend their life glued to their smartphones, but to help others.

"If we always focus on our self, our needs, and what we lack, we will always find ourselves back at the starting point, crying over ourselves with a long face," he said.  ---- Reuters 

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