Cardinal Bo washes feet of poor, Muslims, women on Holy Thursday

Heeding the call of Pope Francis to include various sectors of the people of God in Holy Thursday’s Washing of the Feet ceremony as a ‎radical sign of Christianity's service to those in the margins, Myanmar’s Cardinal Charles Bo commemorated Christ’s gesture of service with the faithful of a parish in the periphery of his Yangon Archdiocese. 

He celebrated the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, with the Washing of the Feet, with thousands of poor and squatters in the poor neighbourhood of St Joseph Church, Thingagyn.  Populated by poor daily wage earners, rickshaw pullers and snacks vendors, the ‎area is a microcosm of Myanmar's poverty and decades long discrimination. 

Earlier at Holy Thursday’s Chrism Mass, Cardinal Bo had instructed ‎his priests to generously call forth to the altar all people, - men, women, ‎non-Christians and poor and wash their feet.‎  The prelate himself led by the example. Christians were unusually surprised to see non-Christians also lining up for the liturgy of the Lord’s Supper which used to be exclusively for Catholics.  As the cardinal went about washing the feet of Muslims, women and sick ‎people, the congregation followed with hushed silence, witnessing the enactment of Christ's ‎love for all.  A country known for hatred of Muslims and ‎discrimination based on religion, the powerful witness of Christ's humility had a telling effect on those present.  "We felt we are all brothers and sisters - whatever our religion may ‎be"  said a parishioner.