(RNS) Pope Francis is participating in a Holy Thursday rite of foot-washing at a center for the elderly and disabled in Rome. Last year, Francis made a splash when he performed the same rite at a youth prison, including washing the feet of women and Muslims.
From a Vatican press release, here’s who Francis is washing the feet of today:
Fr. Federico Lombardi, Director of the Holy See Press Office, has confirmed that this year the chosen twelve will include nine Italians, one Muslim from Libya, a young man from Cape Verde and an Ethiopian woman. These individuals are suffering with physical, neurological and oncological illnesses:
-Oswaldinho, 16, from Cape Verde who had a diving accident last summer and is now completely paralyzed
-Orietta, 51, from Rome who has suffered from illness that has affected her brain
-Samuel, 66, who has had polio from his youth
-Marco, 19, high school student and leader of his parish Youth Group who was diagnosed with a cerebral palsy last year
-Angelica, 86, from Maenza, former president of Catholic Action in Italy, had hip replacement surgery twice
-Daria, 39, who has suffered with cerebral palsy from her childhood
-Pietro, 86, who has been a resident at the Centre for a year, struggles with mobility and muscular deficiency
-Gianluca, 36, who from the age of 14 has had numerous operations as a result of meningitis
-Stefano, 49, who suffers with serious cerebral and motor disorder and has been a resident at the centre for the past two years
-Hamed, 75, Muslim man originally from Libia worked for the Itlian-Arab Chamber of Commerce before suffering a traffic accident which caused serious neurological impairment
-Giordana, 27, from Ethiopia suffers from cerebral palsy and epilepsy
-Walter, 59, living with Down Syndrome