Pope Francis Washed Drug Addicts' Feet

The newest worldwide leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, has a history of demonstrating compassion towards drug addicts, or "the least protected" of God's people. As Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, he once washed the feet of 12 recovering drug addicts during a 2008 visit to a rehab center in the city. "Each year, repeating the gesture done by Jesus at the Last Supper with the Apostles, our Archbishop teaches us what kind of attitude we should have as the Church towards the least protected of the People of God,” the archdiocese explained in a statement. “We are invited through our service to be lamps that bring the light of Christ to the world.” A video (below) shows photographs from the event. Pope Francis also washed the feet of 12 AIDS patients at a hospice in 2001, but he has demonstrated less compassion towards the gay community, calling same-sex marriage a "destructive attack on God’s plan.”