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Pope Leo XIV revives the Holy Thursday foot-washing of priests after Francis’s inclusive tradition
The pope’s choice signals a return to tradition and support for clergy, as 11 of the 12 priests were ordained by Leo last year.
- On Thursday, April 2, 2026, Pope Leo XIV celebrated the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord's Supper at the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, marking the first time a pope held this liturgy at Rome's cathedral in over a decade.
- During the liturgy, Pope Leo personally washed and kissed the feet of 12 priests, mimicking Christ's action toward the Apostles, a tradition last performed at the Lateran by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012.
- Lamenting a humanity "on its knees" due to brutality, the Pope urged the congregation to kneel alongside the oppressed, emphasizing that Jesus' gesture reveals the Father's glory by "overturning the worldly standards that so often distort our conscience."
- This return to the Lateran basilica marks a shift from the pontificate of the late Pope Francis, who celebrated the Holy Thursday liturgy by visiting Rome-area prisons to wash the feet of inmates.
- The Pope will preside over the remaining Paschal Triduum at St. Peter's Basilica, including the Good Friday Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum and the traditional "Urbi et Orbi" blessing on Easter Sunday.
109 Articles
109 Articles
On April 2, three days before Easter, Pope Leo XIV (left) kisses the feet of priests after washing them at the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome, Italy, to mark Holy Thursday. Every year on Holy Thursday, a foot-washing ceremony is held in which the Pope washes the feet of 12 priests to commemorate Jesus personally washing the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper. Leo XIV, who has recently voiced concern over the war in the Middle East, s…
Pope Returns to Traditional Foot-Washing of Priests
Pope Leo XIV washed the feet of 12 priests in the traditional Holy Thursday ritual, restoring a tradition his predecessor had broken by including laypeople and non-Christians in ceremonies at prisons, juvenile detention halls , and centers for asylum-seekers. The priests included 11 ordained by Leo last year, along with the...
Columbia Gorge News
In ritual dear to Francis, Pope Leo washes feet of 12 priests in Rome
Pope Leo XIV performed the ritual of washing of the feet for the first time on Holy Thursday, marking a return to tradition for the rite which his predecessor Francis used to perform for the homeless, prisoners and other marginalised…
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