In what would be his second public act after his hospitalization due to a lung infection last week, this morning the Pope Francisco complied with the rites of Holy Thursday and he washed the feet of 12 young people detained in a juvenile prison in Rome, noting that he also appeared without a wheelchair, walking with the help of a cane.
Thus, this Thursday, and in accordance with Christian tradition, Francis represented as part of Holy Week the gesture of humility that Christ had with his apostles before being arrested, sentenced to death and crucified on a Friday in Jerusalem, going to the prison of Casal del Marmo, north of the Italian capital, repeating the rite that he performed in the same place in 2013.
This afternoon at 3:50 p.m. (Rome time) the #PopeFrancisco privately presides over the holy mass #InCoenaDomini in the Casal del Marmo juvenile prison, located on the outskirts of the Eternal City. Follow the live broadcast with the commentary in Spanish. pic.twitter.com/Zq1wf55WGE
— Vatican News (@vaticannews_es) April 6, 2023
Until then, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, his civil name, arrived smiling leaning on a cane and stood in front of each of the 12 young men detained, including two girls, to wash their feet, which he even bent down to kiss, some of them returning the gesture. with a kiss on the hand, while others only exchanged a few words with him.
“I am going to comply with this ritual. It’s not folklore. I hope to get out of this because I can’t walk very well,” explained the Pope, who was on his feet for several minutes, alluding to his problems walking due to knee pain that forced him to use a wheelchair.
He #PopeFrancisco reminds us that we can all stumble in life, but Jesus loves us as we are. This afternoon, the Holy Father presided over the mass #InCoenaDomini in the Casal del Marmo juvenile prison, in #Romastarting the #TriduoPascual. ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/zKOLrILRYK
— Vatican News (@vaticannews_es) April 6, 2023
The papal rite of Holy Thursday
While the rite of foot washing is carried out by the Pope in turn every Holy Thursday, on this occasion, in addition to being one of his first acts after hospitalization and “scare” that the Pontiff gave the faithful, it stands out that among the young people there was a Muslim, in addition to two women and Catholics from various parts of the world, according to the Vaticanalso being the first time that the ceremony was broadcast live.
Although the “first times” during the current pontificate are not very rare either, since from the beginning of his pontificate in 2013, Francisco decided to take this celebration outside the Vatican.
????VIDEO | Pope Francis presided over the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on #HolyThursday in Casal del Marmo juvenile prison on the outskirts of Rome. He washed the feet of 12 young people of different nationalities. In this place, he celebrated the first Mass “in Coena Domini” of his… pic.twitter.com/bHIKIxKI7I
— EWTN News (@EWTNews) April 6, 2023
On Thursday morning, the Pope also presided over the traditional Chrism mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica, in which the holy oil that will be used for other sacraments throughout the year is blessed.
While on Sunday, on the occasion of Easter, which commemorates the resurrection of Christ according to the Gospel account, he will give the “Urbi et Orbi” blessing to the city and the world, and will read the traditional message on the problems of the world. , while last Sunday, at the beginning of Holy Week, he presided over the Palm mass in the Plaza de San Pedro.