Pope Francis ‘opens Holy Thursday foot-washing rite to women’

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The Pontiff broke convention in 2013 when he washed women prisoners’ feet
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Pope Francis has reportedly issued a decree changing the way that the Holy Thursday foot-washing rite will be celebrated around the world.
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According to the German branch of Vatican Radio, the decree was published today by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments and signed by prefect Cardinal Robert Sarah.
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catholicherald.co.uk/news/2016/01/21/pope-francis-opens-holy-thursday-foot-washing-rite-to-women/
 
The Pontiff broke convention in 2013 when he washed women prisoners’ feet

Pope Francis has reportedly issued a decree changing the way that the Holy Thursday foot-washing rite will be celebrated around the world.

According to the German branch of Vatican Radio, the decree was published today by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments and signed by prefect Cardinal Robert Sarah.
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🍿
 
Now I can stop getting miffed at parishes for breaking the rule. 😛 :o
 
It is better to have law that is observed than law that is ignored.

Dan
 
dans0622 said:
It is better to have law that is observed than law that is ignored.

Dan
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Pretty much. Even the Pope wasn’t following it. 😛

If female altar servers are allowed, then I suppose this is not much different.
 
Ay yay yay.

Is it really that time of the year?
When CAF people traditionally flame over the Foot Washing? (pun intended).

Thanks for bringing it up **SO EARLY. **
I could have waited at least until the week before Ash Wednesday for this fight.
ugh.
 
No fighting anymore! The rule has been changed.
Now we can fight over whether or not Pope Francis has the “authority” to change the rules. :rolleyes::rolleyes:
pianistclare said:
Ay yay yay.

Is it really that time of the year?
When CAF people traditionally flame over the Foot Washing? (pun intended).

Thanks for bringing it up **SO EARLY. **
I could have waited at least until the week before Ash Wednesday for this fight.
ugh.
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pianistclare said:
Ay yay yay.

Is it really that time of the year?
When CAF people traditionally flame over the Foot Washing? (pun intended).

Thanks for bringing it up **SO EARLY. **
I could have waited at least until the week before Ash Wednesday for this fight.
ugh.
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Next thing you know, we’ll be having Halloween threads popping up. :eek:
 
pianistclare said:
I could have waited at least until the week before Ash Wednesday for this fight.
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Now there’s no need for a fight. It’s officially permitted.

A small step, but a step in the right direction. Deo gratias!
 
And that’s the thing. If the Pope wants the change, at least legislate it. There will be those who don’t like it (I don’t), but it is something that’s not part of divine law, and thus, the Supreme Legislator can change it. If women are now permitted for the foot-washing, then that’s that. This is the right course of action, not the action in 2013 (while the Pope himself is not bound by any law, he should have considered the law in force at the time and the example he was giving to priests around the world).
 
Because so many parishes were doing this against the rules anyway, I agree that this was most likely the best thing to do vs. banning it and making this into a bigger issue.

It really doesn’t bother me much, and I attend Holy Thursday Mass at the Cathedral each year where they only wash the feet of seminarians (which I hope continues - I think it’s awesome to see the Archbishop wash the feet of future priests).

However, I really want to ask: why do some feel this is a “win for women”? Besides a minority of women who personally felt slighted that their feet couldn’t be washed (note: I’m a guy and I would never ask to take part in that rite), what good does it do?

Will thousands or millions of non-practing Catholics now return to the Church? Will the feminists who claim the Church is anti-woman change their minds now that priests can wash the feet of women?

The washing of feet is a humbling experience. A straight priest washing the feet of straight men is very humbling and honestly can be almost considered an act of penance for some. It is not going to be an exciting occasion. Furthermore, I think in some parishes it’s almost like being an EMHC, where it’s the same people everytime.

On the flip side, a straight priest washing the feet of straight women COULD lead to impure thoughts. Husbands bathing their wives and washing their feet can be very romantic and arrousing. Ever watch movies set in the Middle Ages and see scenes where feet washing comes into play? You can feel the sexual tension in those scenes. Furthermore, for many women (not all) the feet are an erogenious zone.

NOTE: I’m am NOT critizing the Pope. But I’m just courious why many women felt slighted by this which has lead priests to break the tradition in the past and now leads the Pope to allow it? :confused:
 
If the Pope says it’s ok, I’m fine with that. However, I think this may bring up issues in parishes where women are more active. Our parish chose to do this last year, and I was wondering how the pastor chose the women. One of them isn’t particularly active other then being a lector sometimes. The women were modestly dressed though. Most wore slacks. I doubt that a woman would dress up as they’d have to wear nylons. Guess I’m more of a traditionalist because Jesus washed the feet of the Apostles and none were women. I’d be fine too if the readings were confined to the Deacon whenever possible as our ex bishop was trying to do, because he felt they were more knowledgeable about it than most women. I doubt that this ruling would satisfy radical feminists anyway.
 
pianistclare said:
Ay yay yay.

Is it really that time of the year?
When CAF people traditionally flame over the Foot Washing? (pun intended).

Thanks for bringing it up **SO EARLY. **
I could have waited at least until the week before Ash Wednesday for this fight.
ugh.
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This isn’t a random “let’s fight over the issue” thread. This is current news as the Holy Father has changed Church law on this matter. A change of any Church law will and should be discussed on the Catholic news thread :).

Regarding the issue at hand… The change definitely changes the symbolism of the rite, but that’s fine. Before the emphasis was more on Christ / the priest serving his brethren (as Christ washed the feet of His 12 apostles). Holy Thursday is afterall a celebration of the institution of the priesthood. With the new law, the rite is now more a reflection of the priest’s role in serving the flock at large- which is also an important mystery to reflect on.
 
The letter, written in Italian, says that the Pope made the changes “so that it might express more fully the meaning of Jesus’s gesture in the Cenacle, His giving of Himself unto the end for the salvation of the world, His limitless charity”.
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Truly wonderful that Pope Francis has ended this 2000 year War on Women. If only Jesus would have had access Pope Francis’ insight.
 
twf said:
This isn’t a random “let’s fight over the issue” thread. This is current news as the Holy Father has changed Church law on this matter. A change of any Church law will and should be discussed on the Catholic news thread :).

Regarding the issue at hand… The change definitely changes the symbolism of the rite, but that’s fine. Before the emphasis was more on Christ / the priest serving his brethren (as Christ washed the feet of His 12 apostles). Holy Thursday is afterall a celebration of the institution of the priesthood. With the new law, the rite is now more a reflection of the priest’s role in serving the flock at large- which is also an important mystery to reflect on.
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Thanks for pointing that out. As a fairly recent convert in a parish that has been doing this since I was confirmed, I didn’t understand what the big deal was. Personally, I think it’s nice, I just won’t be offering my own feet for washing. :o
 
porthos11 said:
… (while the Pope himself is not bound by any law …).
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I would say that he most certainly is. Ecclesiastical law is for the Church and, by its nature, is to be observed. The Pope belongs to the Church.

Dan
 
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