In a gesture of kindness and brotherhood, Pope Francis washed and kissed the feet of Muslim, Orthodox, Hindu, and Catholic refugees on Thursday, declaring them children of the same God, Associated Press reported.
As anti-Muslim and anti-migrant sentiment has spiked in Europe following the deadly bombings on Tuesday in Brussels, Francis denounced the violence as a "gesture of war" supported by the weapons industry during an Easter Week Mass. The Mass was held at a shelter for asylum-seekers in Castelnuovo di Porto, outside of Rome.
"We have different cultures and religions, but we are brothers and we want to live in peace," Francis told the crowd.
Several wept as Francis knelt before the migrants, poured holy water over their feet, wiped them clean and kissed them.
Pope Francis shocked many Catholics when he first performed the foot-washing ritual on women and Muslims in 2013, within weeks of his election. After violating the Catholic Church's rules outright for nearly three years, in January Pope Francis changed the regulations to allow women to participate in the ritual.
According to a statement from the Vatican, four women and eight men took part in the ceremony on Thursday. Among the women were an Italian Catholic who works at the shelter and three Eritrean Coptic Christians. The men included four Nigerian Catholics, three Muslims from Mali, Syria and Pakistan, and one Hindu from India.
