With humility and tenderness, Francis imitated Jesus during the Lord’s Supper and washed and kissed the feet of 12 women serving sentences at the Rebibbia Women’s Penitentiary in Rome. Some were visibly moved to see the leader of the Catholic Church repeat Christ’s gesture with them. They were between 40 and 50 years old and came from 8 countries. “It is a gesture that draws attention to the vocation of service. Let us ask the Lord to make us grow in the vocation of service”, said the Pope.
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Andressa Collet – Vatican News
Pope Francis, on the afternoon of Holy Thursday (28), was greeted by many inmates and staff at the beginning of his visit to the Rebibbia Women’s Penitentiary, in Rome, which serves 360 women and one child. On another occasion, in 2015, the Pontiff was in the men’s section for the same celebration. The Mass of the Lord’s Supper opens the Easter Triduum, which remembers the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ, culminating in the celebration of Easter Sunday.
The Pope’s arrival at the visit site
In the homily, delivered without written text, as is customary, the Pope spoke improvisedly a few words about two important episodes during the Lord’s Supper. Francisco drew the attention of the approximately 200 people present at the celebration, first to the Washing of the Feet ceremony, when Jesus humbled himself, making it clear that he “came to serve”, teaching “the way of service”. The other episode – sad – was the betrayal of Judas, incapable of love, revealing the bad things money and selfishness can do. But Francisco recalled:
“But Jesus forgives everything. Jesus always forgives. He only asks us to ask for forgiveness. I once heard a wise old lady, an old grandmother, one of the people… She said this: ‘Jesus never tires of forgiving: that’s us. that we get tired of asking for forgiveness’. Let us ask the Lord today for the grace not to get tired. We always have small failures, big failures – each one has their own story. But the Lord always waits for us, with open arms, and never tires of forgiving.”
“Now we will do what Jesus did: wash his feet. It is a gesture that draws attention to the vocation of service. Let us ask the Lord to make us all grow in the vocation of service.”
It was during the Eucharistic celebration that the Pontiff washed the feet of some women, imitating the gesture of Jesus during the Lord’s Supper, when washing the feet of the disciples, as a sign of service and giving to others. With humility and tenderness, Francis went to a group – all female – positioned at a height capable of the Pope arriving with his wheelchair. The Pope washed and kissed the feet of 12 inmates, some visibly moved and moved to see the leader of the Catholic Church repeat Jesus’ gesture with them. The women were between 40 and 50 years old and came from Bulgaria, Nigeria, Ukraine, Russia, Peru, Venezuela, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Italy itself. At the end of the Foot Washing rite, the inmates’ feeling was one of great gratitude.
The group of inmates from 8 countries
At the end of the celebration and the director’s words of gratitude to the Pope for the visit, saying “not one, but so many ‘thank you'”, the Pontiff received some gifts from the inmates. Among them, a large basket with agricultural products grown by the women themselves in the garden inside the prison and a rosary, made of crochet and pearls, produced in the necklace workshop. From Francisco, a painting of Our Lady with Jesus in her arms. The visit ended with the Pope’s individual greeting to the inmates.
Agricultural products presented to the Pope, from the garden inside the prison
Tags: Pope washes feet inmates Romes womens prison commotion
