Pope Francis washed the feet of 11 Muslim, Orthodox, Hindu and Catholic refugees and one aid worker at a shelter for asylum seekers as part of traditional rituals held on the Thursday before most Christians celebrate Easter on Sunday. The Vatican has announced that Pope Francis has decided to celebrate Holy Thursday Mass at a Center for Asylum Seekers some fifteen miles north of Rome, where he plans to wash the feet of twelve young refugees as part of the ceremony. Instead of celebrating Mass in the Vatican, the Pope will travel to the welcome center in the town of Castelnuovo di Porto the afternoon of March 24th, where he will greet a number of the asylum seekers, many of whom are not Christians. The President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, called the Pope’s gesture “a simple but eloquent sign” of humble service and concern for the plight of the migrants.
The Vatican has announced that Pope Francis has decided to celebrate Holy Thursday Mass at a Center for Asylum Seekers some fifteen miles north of Rome, where he plans to wash the feet of twelve young refugees as part of the ceremony. Instead of celebrating Mass in the Vatican, the Pope will travel to the welcome center in the town of Castelnuovo di Porto the afternoon of March 24th, where he will greet a number of the asylum seekers, many of whom are not Christians. The President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, called the Pope’s gesture “a simple but eloquent sign” of humble service and concern for the plight of the migrants.
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