Pope Francis Washes Feet Of Muslims, Hindu Refugees

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CASTELNUOVO DI PORTO, Italy (CBSMiami) -- As Catholics celebrate Lent in anticipation of the Easter holiday this weekend, Pope Francis washed and kissed the feet of Muslim, Hindu and Catholic refugees in a gesture of peace and brotherhood.

The Holy Thursday rite re-enacts the Biblical story of Jesus' Last Supper where he washed his 12 Apostles' feet just days before his crucifixion.

The symbolic gesture contrasts the "gesture of war" carried out by terrorist attackers in Belgium, the Pope said.

"We have different cultures and religions, but we are brothers and we want to live in peace," Francis said in his homily.

Several of the migrants wept as Pope Francis poured holy water over their feet before he wiped them clean and kissed them.

Tradition had long held that only Catholic men could take part in the service, however, since 2013, Francis had broken those rules, once performing the ritual on women and Muslims at a juvenile detention center. In January, he changed the rules to allow women to participate.

On Thursday, four women and eight men had their feet washed. The men included four Catholics from Nigeria, three Muslims from Mali, Syria and Pakistan and a Hindu man from India. The women included an Italian Catholic who works at the center and three Eritrean Coptic Christian migrants.

The Mass was held as asylum-seekers sat outside Rome at the shelter in Castelnuovo di Porto. At the end of Mass, Francis talked and posed for pictures with refugees.

His message was clear.

"All of us, together: Muslims, Hindi, Catholics, Copts, Evangelicals. But brothers, children of the same God," Pope Francis said. "We want to live in peace, integrated."