Pope Francis Washes Prisoners' Feet In Holy Week Ritual

Pope Francis washed prisoners' feet at a Rome jail on Thursday, including two Muslims, an Orthodox Christian and a Buddhist, once again choosing to celebrate Holy Thursday among Italy's incarcerated.

Rome, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Mar, 2018 ) :Pope Francis washed prisoners' feet at a Rome jail on Thursday, including two Muslims, an Orthodox Christian and a Buddhist, once again choosing to celebrate Holy Thursday among Italy's incarcerated.

"Everyone always has the opportunity to change life and one cannot judge," said Francis to the prisoners of the city's all-male Regina Coeli prison. It is the fourth time in the pope's five year papacy that he has celebrated the Holy Mass in an Italian jail.

"For me, visiting the sick, going into prison, making the prisoner feel that he can have hope of rehabilitation, that is the preaching of the Church," said Francis in a recent book of interviews.

This year, the twelve inmates washed by Francis hailed from Italy, the Philippines, Morocco, Colombia, Moldova, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.

The rite, performed yearly on Maundy or Holy Thursday, commemorates Jesus Christ's Last Supper with the apostles.

In Christian tradition, Jesus is said to have washed their feet ahead of the meal in a gesture of humility. "I am a sinner like you but today I represent Jesus... God never abandons us, never tires of forgiving us," Francis said to the inmates.

The ceremony is part of the run-up to Easter Sunday. Since his election in 2013, the pope has moved the feet washing ceremony outside the walls of the Vatican and into centres for vulnerable people or those on society's margins.