Pope to wash feet of Muslim, Orthodox, Hindu migrants to spread religious harmony

Pope Francis will perform the traditional Holy Thursday foot-washing ceremony at a refugee shelter in Castelnuovo di Porto, outside Rome.

Pope Francis heads to a refugee center to wash and kiss the feet of Muslim, Orthodox, Hindu and Catholic migrants in a gesture of welcome at a time when anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiment has spiked following the Brussels and Paris attacks.

Pope Francis will perform the traditional Holy Thursday foot-washing ceremony at a refugee shelter in Castelnuovo di Porto, outside Rome, inaugurating the most solemn period of the Catholic Church’s Easter season.

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The Vatican said the 12 people selected for the ritual include 11 migrants and an Italian who works at the center: The 11 include four Catholic men from Nigeria, three Muslim men from Mali, Syria and Pakistan; three Eritrean Coptic Christian women and a Hindu Indian man.

Until Francis’ rule-breaking papacy, popes performed the ceremony on other Catholic men.