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Ceremonies without the usual crowd of believers
© APA (AFP / VATICAN MEDIA)
In the Vatican, Pope Francis began the celebrations of the holy days and Easter with the Mass on Holy Thursday. The commemoration of the Last Supper of Jesus took place in the empty Basilica of Saint Peter and was broadcast on the Internet and on television channels. The Pope celebrated mass with his Guido Marini ceremony.
Traditional foot washing was dropped into this year’s fellowship with Francisco. The rite, in which the Pope washes and kisses twelve people, recalls a gesture of Jesus at the Last Supper and is said to be a sign of love and solidarity. In recent years, the Pope has celebrated Mass on Maundy Thursday in prisons or social institutions. He washed the feet of criminals, Muslim immigrants, and the disabled.
In his homily, the Pope commemorated the priests who died from the coronavirus epidemic. 60 of them had succumbed to the virus in Italy. He also thought of the sick in hospitals, as well as doctors and nurses. They are the “neighborhood saints,” said the Pope.
The papal celebration moved to the west arm of Saint Peter’s Basilica. Francis prayed especially for the healing of the sick, for the liberation of all from epidemics, violence and selfishness. The Pope decided not to have his own church service for the ordination of sacred oils on Thursday morning.
Normally, all clergy in the diocese of Rome are invited to St. Peter’s Basilica for this so-called Chrisam Mass. According to the diocese of Rome, the consecration of the oils used in various sacraments and ordinances will take place at a later date and without the Pope.
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