Pope Francis washed and kissed the feet of Muslim, Orthodox, Hindu and Catholic refugees, declaring them children of the same God, in a gesture of brotherhood at a time when anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiment has spiked following the Brussels attacks.
The Pope was attending an Easter Week Mass with asylum-seekers at the shelter in Castelnuovo di Porto, outside Rome yesterday. He denounced the carnage as a gesture of war carried out by people beholden to the weapons industry.
The Holy Thursday rite re-enacts the foot-washing ritual Jesus performed on his apostles before being crucified, and is meant as a gesture of service.
Several of the migrants then wept as Francis knelt before them, poured holy water from a brass pitcher over their feet, wiped them clean and kissed them.
Photo- Vatican Radio
