Pope Francis visited an Italian prison for a Holy Thursday Mass, where he washed and kissed the feet of 12 inmates to commemorate Jesus’ gesture of humility towards his apostles the night before his death.
Francis’ predecessors performed the service in St. Peter’s Basilica or another cathedral in Rome. But after his election in 2013, the pope continued the tradition he established as Archbishop of Buenos Aires of keeping him in prisons or homes for the elderly.
This year Francis went to a prison in the port city of Civitavecchia, northwest of Rome on the Mediterranean coast.
A video released by the Vatican showed the pope washing and kissing the feet of 12 inmates of various ages, including a woman who appeared to be elderly.
“We priests must be the first to serve others, not exploit others,” he told prisoners in a brief impromptu homily during Mass in the prison chapel. “It’s a way of saying ‘I don’t judge anyone. I try to serve everyone,” he said.
He told them that God would judge them, but he would also be ready to forgive them. For the past two years, scaled-down versions of the service have been held inside the Vatican because of Covid-19 restrictions. The visit to the prison, which was private and closed to the public, was the second of two services this Thursday, the beginning of three days of intense activities until Easter.
On Good Friday, the day Christians commemorate Jesus’ death by crucifixion, the pope presides over two services, including a “Via Crucis” (Via Crucis) candlelit procession around Rome’s Coliseum.
This year, the Vatican’s decision to have Ukrainians and Russians participate in the procession has caused friction with Ukrainian Catholic leaders, who want it reconsidered.
On Saturday night, the 85-year-old pope is due to celebrate an Easter Vigil Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. On Easter Sunday, the most important day in the Christian liturgical calendar, he says Mass in St Peter’s Square and then delivers his biannual message and blessing “Urbi et Orbi” (To the City and the World).
Source: CNN Brasil
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