Are your feet dirty? Like, really, really dirty? Have you been a bad girl? Like, sinning a lot and taking the Lord's name in vain? Well, if you happen to be anywhere near the Vatican this coming Holy Thursday, you will finally get a chance to have your feet washed by Pope Francis because women are no longer banned from the ritual. That's right: Pope Francis wants to wash your feet, you heathen women.
CNN reports that a "move long awaited by Western women" has finally become a reality, and after Pope Francis's announcement on Thursday, women's inclusion in the foot-washing ritual will become part of the "Roman Missal, the book that guides Catholic liturgy throughout the world." Prior to Francis's declaration, the ritual was male-centric because it reflected Jesus washing his disciples' feet at the Last Supper. Everyone knows that all the disciples were men.
Do you think bad boy Francis cares about that? In a letter to the Vatican's head of worship and sacraments, Francis said that including women "more fully expresses the meaning of Jesus' gesture at the Last Supper: 'His giving of himself unto the end for the salvation of the world, his limitless charity.'" Time to get dirty.
Cool move by the "Cool Pope" but let's not sing his praises too loudly. Do we need a refresher on the Catholic Church's position toward women?
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