Pope Leo washed the feet of 12 priests on Thursday (April 2) as part of a special ritual before Easter and said the action, emulating a gesture of humility by Jesus on the night before he died, should inspire Catholics to care for those in need.

"As humanity is brought to its knees by so many acts of brutality, let us too kneel down as brothers and sisters alongside the oppressed," said Leo, the first U.S. pope, who in recent weeks has emerged as a sharp critic of the Iran war.

"God has given us an example — not of how to dominate, but of how to liberate," said the pope, before bending down to pour water over the feet of the 12 men, one by one, before drying and kissing each one.

Leo, who became pope last May, was leading a service for Holy Thursday, the first of four event-filled days leading to Easter on Sunday.

The ritual was held at Rome's Basilica of St. John Lateran, the pope's cathedral church, in a change from recent tradition.

The late Pope Francis preferred to hold the service outside churches, usually in prisons, homes for the elderly or hospices, continuing a practice he began as a bishop in Argentina.

Last Easter, as he was recovering from double pneumonia and days before he died, Francis made a surprise visit to Rome's Regina Coeli, one of Italy's most overcrowded prisons, to offer well-wishes to the inmates.

Vatican officials said Leo decided to wash the feet of priests this year to show support for Catholic clergy, who often work long hours and lead more than one parish.

The pope also dedicated his monthly prayer intention for April to priests, asking the world's 1.4 billion Catholics to pray that God would care for and encourage them.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

ROME, ITALY (APRIL 2, 2026)

1. VARIOUS OF POPE LEO ARRIVING FOR MASS

2. CHOIR SINGING

3. VIEW OF BASILICA

4. POPE LOOKING ON

5. VIEW OF BASILICA

6. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) POPE LEO SAYING:

''God has given us an example, not of how to dominate, but of how to liberate, of how life is given, not how it is destroyed. As humanity is brought to its knees by so many acts of brutality, let us too kneel down as brothers and sisters alongside the oppressed".

7. VIEW OF BASILICA

8. POPE WALKING

9. VIEW OF BASILICA

10. VARIOUS OF POPE WASHING FEET OF LOCAL PRIESTS

11. CROSS

12. VARIOUS OF POPE WASHING FEET OF LOCAL PRIESTS

13. PAINTING OF THE LAST SUPPER

14. POPE WASHING FEET OF LOCAL PRIESTS

15. CHOIR SINGING

16. MASS IN PROGRESS

17. VARIOUS OF MASS IN PROGRESS

18. VARIOUS OF POPE PRAYING

19. VIEW OF BASILICA