Friday, March 29, 2013

Pope Francis video: washing the feet of a young Muslim woman prisoner

News Headline and video: "Pope Francis continued his gleeful abandonment of tradition by washing the feet of a young Muslim woman prisoner in an unprecedented twist on the Holy Thursday tradition".  (Hmm... young, woman, Muslim and prisoner...a quadruple no-no/outcast in some books) See also:



Pope Francis Washes a Muslim Woman's Feet on Holy Thursday: Conservatives Angry - Middle East Experi
From IB Times:
In yet another break with Catholic tradition, Pope Francis washed and kissed the feet of two women, one of whom was a Muslim, during a Maundy Thursday ritual that has never before included either.
Pope Francis’ inclusion of two women, one of whom was Muslim, in a Holy Thursday Catholic rite has angered conservatives in the church. According to the Associated Press, Pope Francis’ unorthodox move angered many traditionalists in the Catholic Church who called the decision a “questionable example.” Liberals, however, reportedly welcomed it as a sign that the church is becoming more inclusive.
Pope Francis performed the ritual, which commemorates Christ’s Last Supper, on twelve inmates between the ages of 14 and 21 at a juvenile detention center outside of Rome, instead of performing it on Catholic priests at one of Rome’s basilicas as previous Popes have done.
“This is a symbol, it is a sign. Washing your feet means I am at your service,” Francis told selected participants at the Casal del Marmo facility.
“Help one another. This is what Jesus teaches us,” he said. “This is what I do. And I do it with my heart. I do this with my heart because it is my duty. As a priest and bishop, I must be at your service.”
Although Pope Francis performed the rite on women more than once while serving as Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio and archbishop of Buenos Aires, religious experts say that his inclusion of women in the ceremony as Pope marked a groundbreaking move for the church.  continued
 

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