Within the context of Holy Thursday, the liturgical rite of the washing of the feet is carried out with particular solemnity. It took place this year in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Pope’s cathedral as Bishop of Rome, during the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. And it recalls Jesus’ lesson of divine humility for His disciples.
After the homily, Pope Leo XIV followed the example of Jesus—he tied on an apron and proceeded to wash the feet of 12 priests. Notably, he had ordained eleven of them himself this past May, shortly after being elected pontiff.
The washing of the feet at St. John Lateran thus took on a particularly significant character, as the celebration was returned to the episcopal seat of Rome.
In his first celebration of the Eucharist on Holy Thursday and the beginning of the Easter Triduum, Pope Leo XIV recalled the mystery of faith that the Christian people experience in the days that follow: Christ's sacrificial love for humanity above all things.
