2013 · Casal del Marmo Juvenile Detention Center, Rome, Italy
Pope Francis Washes Women's Feet on Holy Thursday
In 2013, newly elected Pope Francis broke with established practice by washing the feet of women and non-Christians at a juvenile detention center on Holy Thursday, signaling a papacy focused on inclusion and simplicity.
Pope Francis had been in office for less than two weeks when Holy Thursday arrived on March 28, 2013. Instead of celebrating the Mass of the Lord's Supper at St. Peter's Basilica or the Lateran, he went to Casal del Marmo, a juvenile detention center on the outskirts of Rome. There he washed and kissed the feet of twelve young inmates, including two women and two Muslims. The foot-washing ritual at Holy Thursday Mass reenacts Jesus washing his disciples' feet at the Last Supper, as described in John's Gospel. Church rubrics at the time specified that only men could participate, reflecting the fact that the twelve apostles were men. Francis ignored this restriction. The gesture generated immediate global attention and divided opinion in the Church. Supporters saw it as a return to the simplicity of the Gospel — the pope on his knees before prisoners, including women and non-Christians, doing exactly what Jesus did. Critics argued he was violating liturgical law and muddying the theological meaning of the ritual. In 2016, Francis formally changed the rubrics to allow women to have their feet washed at the Holy Thursday liturgy, settling the legal question. But the 2013 moment remained the defining image: a pope choosing a prison over a basilica and making it clear, in the most physical way possible, that his papacy would prioritize people on the margins.
Why it matters
Set the tone for Francis's pontificate and led to a formal change in liturgical law allowing women's participation in the Holy Thursday foot-washing ritual.
What Happened
On Holy Thursday 2013, Pope Francis celebrated the Mass of the Lord's Supper at a juvenile detention center in Rome rather than at a major basilica. He washed and kissed the feet of twelve young inmates, including two women and two Muslims. The gesture broke with the existing rubrics, which limited the ritual to men. In 2016, Francis changed the rules to officially allow women to participate. The visit to Casal del Marmo became one of the most widely covered moments of his early papacy.
Why It Still Matters
The foot-washing at Casal del Marmo was not just a symbolic gesture. It led to a concrete change in liturgical law and established the pattern of Francis's papacy — prioritizing encounter with people at the margins over the formalities of Vatican ceremony. It also reopened the question of how literally the Church should imitate Jesus's actions and who gets included in that imitation.