Pope Francis washed the feet of 12 women detained in a prison in Rome, this Thursday (28), a rite that marks the Thursday before Easter (see more photos below).
Sitting in a wheelchair, Jorge Bergoglio washed, dried and kissed the feet of 12 women. Some of them cried.
Pope Francis, who was already visiting inmates in Buenos Aires, stated that the foot washing ceremony “is a gesture that calls us to serve others.”
He also celebrated a mass in the courtyard of the detention center, where around 370 women are held.
In Christian tradition, Maundy Thursday celebrates the day when Christ washes the feet of the apostles at the Last Supper.
The ritual was perpetuated in Christian ceremonies, except in some lines of Protestantism.
Refugees, ex-mobsters, sick and marginalized
Since his election in 2013, the leader of the Catholic Church has visited prisons and refugee reception centers on several occasions, washing the feet of former mobsters, sick or marginalized people.
On Friday night, he is expected to preside over the “Via-Crúcis” at the Coliseum, which he was unable to attend in 2023 for health reasons.
The 87-year-old pope appeared to be in good condition, although his health had been a cause for concern in recent days, due to repeated infections that prevented him from reading his speeches on several occasions.
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