In brief: Pope washes feet of inmates, baby
Vatican City – Pope Francis washed the feet of 12 inmates and a baby at Rome’s main prison Thursday in a pre-Easter ritual meant to show his willingness to serve. He asked them to pray that he, too, might be cleansed of his “filth.”
As the inmates wept, Francis knelt down, poured water from a pitcher onto one foot apiece, dried it and then kissed it, re-enacting the ritual that Jesus performed on his apostles before he was crucified.
The inmates included six men from Rebibbia prison and six women from the nearby women’s detention center. One was a mother carrying her son on her lap: Francis washed and kissed his little foot as well.
Francis has revolutionized the Holy Thursday foot-washing ceremony by performing it on women and non-Catholics and by traveling to detention centers and facilities for the sick. Vatican rules say the ritual should be performed on men, given that Jesus’ apostles were male.
Holy Thursday marked the start of a busy four days for Francis. Today he performs the late night Via Crucis procession at Rome’s Colosseum. On Saturday, he presides over the solemn Easter Vigil and a few hours later he celebrates Easter Sunday Mass.
Menendez pleads not guilty to bribery
Newark, N.J. – U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges that he accepted nearly $1 million in gifts and campaign contributions from a longtime friend in exchange for a stream of political favors, and his lawyer compared the case to the government’s failed prosecutions of former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards.
Menendez’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, entered the plea on his behalf before a federal judge in Newark, one day after Menendez promised to be vindicated and declared that he’s “not going anywhere.”
“Prosecutors at the Justice Department often get it wrong. These charges are the latest instance of that,” Lowell told reporters.
The indictment against Menendez alleges he used the power of his Senate seat to benefit Salomon Melgen, a wealthy Florida eye doctor who prosecutors say provided the senator with luxury vacations, airline travel, golf trips and tens of thousands of dollars in contributions to a legal defense fund.
Melgen also entered a not guilty plea, and Judge William Walls set a tentative July 13 trial date for both men.
Nixon’s Western White House for sale
San Clemente, Calif. – The seaside California estate dubbed the Western White House when it was owned by Richard Nixon is for sale at $75 million.
The San Clemente property is being sold by retired Allergan CEO Gavin Herbert, who has owned it for 35 years, according to the Orange County Register.
Nixon bought the 5 1/2-acre spread on a secluded coastal bluff in 1969 and called it La Casa Pacifica. The president said he liked watching surfers during walks on the beach. When Nixon resigned from office, he returned to the retreat to write his memoirs. He moved to New York in 1980 and sold it to Herbert.