Thousands of faithful filled the Vatican Saint-Pierre Basilica on Holy Thursday to attend the mass of christ, marking the start of Easter week in the Catholic tradition.
Always recovering from a double pneumonia, Pope Francis has not participated in the ceremony, but he should make some appearances throughout the celebrations.
Meanwhile, he was replaced by Cardinal Domenico Calcagno, his head to the retirement of the Vatican Patrime Bureau. The event attracted a crowd which included more than 1,000 priests from around the world.
During mass, the oils to be used in ceremonies in the parishes of Rome throughout the year will be blessed.
Christian Orthodox gathers for traditional feet washing
Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, the Orthodox Christian worshipers gathered at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which would be the site of the burial and the resurrection of Jesus.
The faithful participated in the traditional feet washing ceremony, which marks the beginning of Orthodox Easter celebrations in the Holy Land.
The Greek Patriarch Orthodox of Jerusalem, Théophilos III, poured soapy soapy water of a silver jug adorned in a basin before washing and drying the feet of the priests.
In total, he washed the feet of twelve priests – a symbolic reconstruction of Jesus Christ washing the feet of his twelve disciples over 2000 years ago.
Editor • Lucy gave
