Statement on Vatican Decree Opening Holy Thursday Foot Washing to Women and Girls

For immediate release
January 21, 2016

Contact:
Erin Saiz Hanna 401-588-0457 ehanna@womensordination.org
Kate McElwee 607-725-1364 kmcelwee@womensordination.org

The Women’s Ordination Conference (WOC) celebrates Pope Francis’ decree to change the Roman Missal, opening Holy Thursday foot washings to women and girls.

While the foot washing of women and girls has taken place in parishes and communities for many decades, the Vatican decree formalized this ritual to include all of the people of God. It is a step forward.

With this decree, Pope Francis has gestured that change is possible. Historically, women have been forbidden from the liturgical ritual because Jesus washed the feet of his apostles during the Last Supper, considered to be only men. It is often used to commemorate the formal institution of an all-male priesthood, which could now be questioned with this change. We have long known that Jesus included women as disciples and integral to all of his ministries.

Officially, however, women are still barred from washing feet because only a male priest – in the image of Christ – may perform that ritual. WOC also sadly notes the delay between when Pope Francis initially called for this decree (20 December 2014) and today, as a deep institutional resistance to this decree.

Our prayer during this Year of Mercy is that inclusion of women in the Church not stop at our feet, but will be one of many signs to include women fully in the institutional Church. It’s long overdue that the Church open the doors to women’s ordination.

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