Pope Francis visited Rome's main penitentiary, meeting scores of inmates as he arrived for an Easter gathering to celebrate Maundy Thursday among the nation's poorest inmates despite continuing to recover from a serious bout of pneumonia.
Pope Francis's motorcade entered the Regina Caeli prison in Rome's Trastevere district shortly before 3 p.m. local time, and the Vatican said he would meet with 70 inmates.
It is an institution that the Pope has visited before to perform the annual Holy Thursday ritual of washing the feet of 12 people, re-enacting Christ's gesture of humble service when he washed the feet of the 12 apostles before his crucifixion.
The Vatican has not said whether the pope will perform the rite this year. But the fact that the 88-year-old pope showed up for the event, despite doctors telling him to avoid the effort and crowds, was a clear sign of his commitment to prison ministry and the need for priests to care for those on the margins.
This is especially true in the Holy Year 2025, which opens and closes with special papal events for prisoners.
Pope Francis is expected to take part in at least several more Easter ceremonies in the coming days.
He made a surprise appearance at Palm Sunday Mass last weekend and has made several unexpected visits in recent days – including one where he was not wearing his white papal cassock – to pray at St. Peter's Basilica and the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore across town.
On recent outings, including Thursday, he was seen without the nasal tubes that provide extra oxygen, and Vatican officials say he is becoming less dependent on therapy.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
