Pope Francis visits women's prison in Rome to wash the feet of 12 inmates from ... trends now
Pope Francis washed the feet of 12 incarcerated women from his wheelchair to mark Maundy Thursday.
The 87-year-old pontiff, who often pleads for compassion to prisoners, visited the Rebibbia women's prison in the northeastern outskirts of Rome, where he performed the same rite in 2015.
Thursday, however, was the first time the Argentinian Jesuit had dedicated his annual ritual during Holy Week solely to women.
Seated in a wheelchair, the pope washed the feet of each of the prisoners, some of them in tears, before drying them off with a towel and kissing them.
'We all have small failures, big failures,' said the pope in an impromptu homily during a mass held in the courtyard of the prison that holds some 370 women.
'But the Lord is always waiting for us, with open arms, and he never tires of forgiving,' he added.
Pope Francis kisses the feet of an inmate of the female section of Rebibbia Prison during a Holy Thursday ritual
Pope Francis performing the "Washing of the Feet" of inmates during a private visit of the prison
Pope Francis smiles as he leaves after visiting the female section at Rebibbia prison
The washing of feet is 'a gesture that draws our attention to the vocation of service,' said Francis, who as a priest in Buenos Aires had already begun visiting prisoners.
A few minutes earlier, the pontiff was all smiles as he shook hands with the inmates.
In England, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby also performed the washing of feet at St Paul's Church in Maidstone, Kent.
Last month, the pope caught a flu that caused him to cancel some public meetings. During his subsequent recovery, he has on several occasions asked others to read his speeches.
In the Christian tradition, Holy
