Pope Francis today washed the feet of twelve young people – ten boys and women of different ages and nationalities – in the youth detention center of Casal del Marmo, on the outskirts of Rome. Among them was a Muslim. Before washing the feet, Francis celebrated a Mass with the young people in the presence of about 100 people.
It’s the same prison where he washed the feet of imprisoned men and women on Maundy Thursday ten years ago, shortly after his election as Pope. The Pope arrived at the altar for the ceremony in a wheelchair. “It’s so nice to help each other out, lend a hand. These are universal human gestures. With the gesture of washing the feet, Jesus wants to teach us the nobility of the heart”, said the Holy Father.
In recent years, the Pope has celebrated Holy Thursday Mass in several prisons. The tradition had been suspended in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic, but last year the Pope had resumed washing the feet of convicts in Civitavecchia prison, north of Rome.
The Holy Thursday Mass commemorates Jesus’ Last Supper, in which he washed the feet of his twelve apostles as a sign of humility and love. Traditionally, the Holy Thursday liturgy took place in the Lateran Basilica, the current Roman papal church. Francis’ predecessors used to wash the feet of deserving clerics.