Thousands of worshippers filled the Vatican's St Peter’s Basilica on Holy Thursday to witness the Chrism Mass, marking the beginning of Easter week in the Catholic tradition.
Still recovering from double pneumonia, Pope Francis did not take part in the ceremony but he is expected to make some appearances throughout the celebrations.
In the meantime he was replaced by Cardinal Domenico Calcagno, the retired head of the Vatican’s patrimony office. The event drew a crowd that included over 1,000 priests from around the world.
During the mass the oils to be used in ceremonies in the parishes of Rome throughout the year will be blessed.
Christian Orthodox gather for traditional Washing of the Feet
Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, Orthodox Christian worshippers gathered at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, believed to be the site of Jesus’s burial and resurrection.
The faithful took part in the traditional Washing of the Feet ceremony, which marks the beginning of Orthodox Easter celebrations in the Holy Land.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, poured soapy water from an ornate silver jug into a basin before washing and drying the feet of priests.
In total, he washed the feet of twelve priests — a symbolic re-enactment of Jesus Christ washing the feet of his twelve disciples over 2,000 years ago.
