Pope washes inmates' feet at Mass
of Lord’s Supper
Pope Francis celebrates the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on
Holy Thursday in a prison near Rome, washing the feet of 12 inmates.
By Devin Watkins
This is the fifth time that Pope Francis has chosen to
celebrate the Mass in Coena Domini at a prison.
Travelling to the south of Rome on Holy Thursday afternoon,
the Pope celebrated this year’s Mass of the Lord’s Supper in the prison of
Velletri.
The “District House of Velletri” is a medium-security
facility that houses 577 inmates, 60% of whom are foreigners.
Gesture of a slave
In his off-the-cuff homily, Pope Francis thanked the inmates
for their warm welcome and said he had received a beautiful letter from several
of them.
The Pope reflected briefly on the gesture of Jesus washing
the feet of the disciples, which priests around the world repeat on Holy
Thursday.
He said Jesus carries out an act of service, which was
usually done by slaves. “He, the Lord who contained in himself all power,
carries out the gesture of a slave,” he said.
Jesus, he said, then told his disciples to do the same for
each other in service.
“Be brothers in service: not in ambition but in service,”
the Pope said.
Each of us, said Pope Francis, needs to be at the service of
our neighbor.
Washing of the feet
After the homily, Pope Francis washed the feet of 12
prisoners who hail from 4 nations. Nine are Italian, and 1 each from Brazil,
Ivory Coast, and Morocco.
In previous years, the Pope celebrated the Mass of the
Lord’s Supper at the Casal del Marmo, Rebibbia, Paliano, and Regina Coeli
prisons.
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