Pope Francis visited the feminine penitentiary of Rebibbia in Rome on Thursday (March 28) to have a good time the Holy Thursday ritual of feet washing, continuing the pontiff’s tradition of visiting marginalized groups on the Thursday before Easter.
It’s the primary time a pope has washed the feet of a gaggle made up solely of ladies.
The penitentiary is amongst the most important in Europe and houses 360 women and one child. The inmates have looked forward to the pope’s arrival with excitement, in accordance with prison chaplain Don Andrea Carosella. “For them it’s an emblem of great attention, an emblem that shows that the pope thinks about them and is near them,” Carosella told the news agency of the Italian bishops, SIR.
“They need the sort of support that brings hope, an indication, caring, a gesture by someone who may help them have faith and courage to go forward,” Carosella said. “I feel the pope’s visit offers inspiration for locating strength, finding courage.”
The pope said Mass outside, in a big tent where the ladies and employees of the penitentiary gathered. “Always, all of us, face small failures, big failures, it doesn’t matter, everyone has their very own story,” he said, “however the Lord all the time waits for us with open arms, and he never tires of forgiving us.”
While the Vatican had stated that the pope won’t perform the ritual himself as a consequence of pain in his legs, Francis washed the feet of the inmates while sitting in a wheelchair. The women were placed on elevated chairs to permit the pope to clean their feet without bending an excessive amount of. The event took place in private with no access for the general public. Pictures show women weeping with emotion in the course of the ritual. They hailed from Italy, Ukraine, Russia, Peru, Nigeria, Venezuela and the Roma community, amongst others.
The Catholic Mass in Coena Domini and the washing of the feet are inspired by Jesus’ last supper, when he washed the feet of his disciples. Twelve inmates acted because the apostles, but the opposite inmates also had a probability to see the pope. They prepared for the event by singing songs, doing catechesis with the prison chaplain and reflecting on the spiritual significance of the papal visit. All the ladies within the penitentiary were invited to satisfy the pope no matter their prison sentence or background.
Pope Francis began the practice of visiting marginalized groups on Holy Thursday as a substitute of performing the ceremony in St. Peter’s Basilica immediately after his election in 2013. He has visited juvenile prisons and centers for people living with physical and mental disabilities and has washed and kissed the feet of migrants and refugees. In 2016, Pope Francis issued a liturgical reform allowing women to act because the apostles within the foot washing ritual.
In 2015, the pope visited the Rebibbia women’s prison and washed the feet of several inmates, including some women.
The pope has dedicated the prayer intention for the month of April to “the role of ladies,” asking that they “be recognized in every culture, and for the tip of discrimination that they experience in numerous parts of the world.” On April 28, he’ll visit one other women’s prison during a day trip to Venice, where the Vatican has arrange a pavilion for the Venice Biennale contemporary art exhibit.
“I would love to say thanks on behalf of all those that live on this place and suffer the privation of their freedom,” said the director of the penitentiary, Nadia Fontana, in her address to the pope. “Your presence here today is sort of a ray of sun for every of them, which warms the hearts and restores hope of having the ability to start again, even when it means ranging from scratch.”
Pope Francis gifted the ladies a painting of the Virgin Mary and Child. He also gifted an enormous chocolate egg and a smaller one to Jairo Massimo, a 3-year-old boy who has been living within the penitentiary along with his mother for the past nine months.
© Religion News Service
