Pope Francis Washes Feet of Elderly and Disabled

Pope Francis celebrated a special Mass of the Lord’s Supper at Istituto S. Maria della Provvidenza, a rehabilitation and long-term care facility in the suburbs of Rome, where he washed the feet of elderly and disabled patients as part of Easter festivities on April 17.

On Holy Thursday last year, Pope Frances sparked controversy when he washed the feet of two women and two Muslims at a juvenile detention center in Rome. This was a departure from a long-standing papal tradition of washing only priests’ feet. Credit: Radio Vaticana