Article by Viory
Pope Leo XIV led the rituals of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday evening at the Papal Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome.
Continuing the tradition, the pontiff washed and kissed the feet of twelve members of the clergy.
Footage showed Pope Leo pouring water from a golden pitcher over the priests’ feet before cleaning and kissing them – a gesture described as demonstrating the ‘true omnipotence of God’.
The ritual is an enactment of the foot-washing performed by Jesus on his 12 disciples at the Last Supper – before he betrayed by Judas and crucified on Good Friday. According to Christian belief, he then rose from the dead on the third day; Easter Sunday.
His predecessor, Pope Francis, broke with tradition by washing the feet of inmates, women, migrants, and people of different faiths.
At the end of the liturgy, the Pope carried the Blessed Sacrament to the place of repose in the Chapel of Saint Francis.
Holy Thursday is the commemoration of the Last Supper of Jesus Christ, when he established the sacrament of Holy Communion before his arrest and crucifixion. The holy day falls on the Thursday before Easter and is part of the Holy Week.
Vatican Media, via Viory.Video
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