Pope Francis washed the feet of 12 young offenders including two girls
and two Muslims at a Rome prison on Thursday in an unprecedented version
of an ancient Easter ritual, seen as part of efforts to bring the
Catholic Church closer to those in need.
The pope knelt down, washing and kissing the young prisoners’ feet in
the first Holy Thursday ceremony of its kind performed by a pontiff in
prison, and the first to include women and Muslims.
“Whoever is the most high up must be at the service of others,” Francis
said at the mass in the Casal del Marmo youth prison, a fortnight after
being elected Latin America’s first pope.
“I do this with all my heart because it is my duty as a priest, as a
bishop. I have to be at your service. I love doing it because this is
what the Lord has taught me,” the 76-year-old said.
while this was the first time a pope had washed women’s feet, Francis
had performed this type of ceremony in his native Argentina many times
before becoming pope including in jails, hospitals and old people’s
homes....Popes performing the ritual have usually washed the feet of
priests.
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