Pope Francis Washes Feet Of Refugees For Easter Week

Pope Francis washed and kissed the feet of 12 refugees at a migrant centre in Rome yesterday for Easter Week. The ceremony, which took place in Castelnuovo di Porto, took place as part of the observances of Maundy Thursday, the Holy Thursday before Easter than dates back to the Last Supper. 

The Pope knelt before a group of eight men and four women, among them Muslims, Coptic Christians and Hindus, before kissing and washing their feet.

‘All of us together: Muslims, Hindus, Catholics, Copts, Evangelicals … all brothers and children of the same God,’ he said. ‘We want to live together in peace.’

In previous years, Pope Francis has observed Maundy Thursday by washing the feet of prisoners, the elderly and people with disabilities.

In 2013, he included women in his foot washing ceremony, which made waves as the washing of the feet of 12 people re-enacts the washing of the feet of his male disciples.