Pope hails priests and health workers for their help during the coronavirus pandemic

On Holy Thursday, Pope Francis praised priests and medical workers who tended to the needs of COVID-19 patients as “the saints next door.”

Francis attended the evening Mass of the Holy Week at St. Peter’s Basilica, which was kept off-limits due to prohibitions aimed at preventing the transmission of coronavirus.

The same considerations compelled the pope to not attend a commonly practiced ceremonial practice on the Thursday before Easter, washing others ‘feet as a sign of humility.

The previous year, in a prison outside Rome, Francis conducted the task of washing 12 prisoners’ feet. The custom re-enacts Christ cleaning the feet of his 12 Apostles before he was crucified.

The pope started the mass by remembering priests who lost their lives in service of others and specifically recognizing those who died in Italy’s hospitals after tending to sick patients.

Francis said in the Mass:

These days, more than 60 in Italy have died, after giving attention to the sick in hospitals,

Also doctors, nurses. They are the saints next door.