Pope Francis washes feet of 12 female prisoners in pre-Easter ceremony

Holy See Vatican City:

Pope Francis, who often prays for compassion for prisoners, washed the feet of 12 imprisoned women in a ceremony marking Holy Thursday before Easter in Rome on Thursday.

The Argentinian Jesuit visited the Rebibbia women’s prison in the northeastern suburbs of the Italian capital, where he performed the same ceremony in 2015.

However, Thursday was the first time the 87-year-old pope dedicated an annual ceremony during Holy Week to women.

The pope, seated in a wheelchair, washed the feet of each prisoner, some with tears, before toweling them dry and kissing them.

“We all have small failures, big failures,” the pope said in an impromptu homily in the courtyard of the prison, where some 370 women are held.

“But the Lord is always waiting for us with open arms and He never tires of forgiving,” he added.

Francis said foot-washing is “a gesture that draws our attention to our mission of service.” He had already begun visiting prisoners while serving as a priest in Buenos Aires.

Minutes earlier, the pope was smiling and shaking hands with prisoners.

Last month, the pope came down with the flu, causing him to cancel some public meetings. During his subsequent recovery, he repeatedly asked others to read his speeches.

In Christian tradition, Holy Thursday commemorates the day when Christ washed the feet of the apostles at the Last Supper.

It’s a highlight of Holy Week, commemorating Christ’s final days before his resurrection at Easter.

Since becoming pope in 2013, the Catholic Church leader has frequently visited prisons and refugee centers, including last Holy Thursday when he visited a juvenile detention center and washed the feet of 12 young people.

On Good Friday, he will lead the “Way of the Cross” prayer service at the Coliseum in Rome, which he was unable to attend last year while recovering from a bronchial infection.

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