Vatican City: Pope Francis will wash the feet of inmates at a prison known for housing mafia turncoats in an Easter week ritual meant to show his willingness to serve.
The Paliano prison, located in a huge fortress outside Rome, houses many of Italy’s “collaborators of justice,” who can shave time off their sentences by cooperating with anti-mafia investigators.
Given the security concerns involved, the Vatican said today the April 13 Mass at the maximum-security facility would be “strictly private.”
Francis has spoken out frequently to denounce the mafia, declaring mobsters “excommunicated” and urging them to change their ways. Many mafia turncoats have done just that, risking their own lives and those of their families to help authorities fight the mob, The Times of India reported.