In this picture made available by Vatican Media Pope Francis washes the feet of the inmates of Rome's penitentiary of Casal del Marmo, Thursday, April 6. In a Holy Thursday ritual symbolizing humility, Pope Francis washed and wiped dry the bare feet of a dozen residents of a Rome juvenile prison, assuring them of their dignity and telling them "any of us" can fall into sin.
April 7, 2023
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Pope washes feet in Holy Thursday rite
Pope Francis has washed and dried the feet of 12 residents of a Rome juvenile prison in a Holy Thursday rite symbolizing humility. Ten male and two female residents each removed a shoe so Francis could bend over, pour water over one bare foot and then dry with a plain white towel. The ritual recalls Jesus' washing the feet of his 12 apostles at their last supper together before he was crucified. Some of the 12 whispered in the pope's ear after they shook and kissed his hand. Earlier, Francis presided over mid-morning Holy Thursday Mass in St. Peter's Basilica. The 86-year-old pope was recently hospitalized for bronchitis.