Pope Francis washed the feet of twelve prisoners and encouraged them to "meet" with each other

As Jesus did with his disciples at the Last Supper, Pope Francis today washed the feet of twelve prisoners in a prison near Rome and encouraged them to avoid any temptation to dominate and help each other, to be "more friends and brothers"

The Argentine pontiff moved to the Penitentiary of Velletri (center) to commemorate this holy Thursday the "Last Supper of the Lordand in his homily, improvised, He reminded the importance of the rite of washing his feetmade by Jesus of Nazareth to his apostles.

Francisco explained that Jesus Christ, despite being the son of God, led with his disciples this gesture of slavesthat at that time, clean the dust and dirt of the shoes of people who went to their masters.

"To serve one another, to be brothers in the service and not in the ambition of the one who dominates or mistreats the other. It's fraternity. The fraternity is always humble, "said the pontiff, before stressing that this" rule of service "also affected the high clergy.

"The bishop is not the most important, he must even be the most useful"he said.

Francisco insisted on the prisoners, but also on the prison staff and the security guards, so that "the largest must serve the smallest"

"Whoever feels the greatest must be a servant, it is true that in life, there are problems, we argue, but it must be temporary. Because in our hearts there must always be this love to serve our neighbor", rule.

Second act, Francisco proceeded to wash the feet of twelve prisoners, nine Italians, a Brazilian, an Ivorian and another of Moroccan origin.

As it is already the tradition, he knelt before them and, with a bowl and a bowl of money, washed, dried with a towel and kissed the feet of the twelve prisoners, all the men.

During his visit to this penitentiary, the Argentine pope again demonstrated his special attention to prisonersIt often refers to the situation and social reintegration. It was the fifth time he had been to prison on the holy Thursday of his seven years as pope.

The director of the prison, Maria Donata Iannantuono, thanked him at the end of the Eucharist, reporting to the Pope the difficult conditions experienced in the center, overwhelmed like the majority in Italy by overpopulation, with 570 prisoners for a little more than 400 places.

The facilities also suffer from a "serious lack of prison police"what causes"difficult work modes"agents, often unable to"to ensure adequate working conditions for workers"and"fundamental rights"to the detainees, he denounced.

To finish the ceremony, Francisco, who has received a letter from the prisoners in recent days, greeted the people present at the mbad, received gifts and left to the applause of the center.

This morning, he also celebrated Mbad at St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, a rite marking the beginning of Holy Week and also serves to commemorate the institution of the sacrament of the order of priests, according to the Christian tradition.

For this reason, In his homily, he addressed the clergy to encourage priests to touch the "wounds" of the faithful., to get involved in their problems, situations and realities, as he argued that priests can not only be "bottled oil distributors", in reference to the rite of anointing.

"We are anointing ourselves by dirtying our hands by touching the wounds, the sins and the anguish of the people; we are planting perfume hands to touch their faith, their hopes, their fidelity and the unconditional generosity of their deliverance, "he said.

In this way, Francisco started the knowledge as "Easter Triduum", the three days before Easter that will continue tomorrow with the celebration of the Pbadion of the Lord and the traditional" Via Crucis "in the Roman Colosseum, symbol of the persecution of early Christians and centered this year on the tragedy of immigrants.

By Gonzalo Sánchez (EFE)