Pope Francis celebrated Holy Thursday by washing and kissing the feet of 12 inmates.

The ritual , created to reenact Jesus washing the feet of his disciples on the eve of his crucifixion, was held in Rome's Casal de Marmo.

"This is a symbol, it is a sign -- washing your feet means I am at your service," Francis told the inmates. "Help one another. This is what Jesus teaches us. This is what I do . And I do it with my heart because it is my duty, as a priest and bishop. I must be at your service."

Watch a video of the ritual ( below) :

The Vatican announced that Pope Benedict XVI will become Pope Emeritus on Tuesday.

He is the first Pope to voluntarily resign in over 600 years.

Even though many are afraid that his resignation may cause a divide in the Catholic world, Vatican newspaper editor Giovanni Maria Vian is not worried

"According to evolution of Catholic doctrine and mentality, there is only one Pope. Clearly, it's a new situation, but I don't think there will be problems," she said in an interview. 

The Pope will give up his red shoes, that acted as a tribute to martyrs, and a fisherman ring he used to seal documents.

The Pope announced his resignation on February 11 and will end his role as leader to over 1 billion Catholics around the world on Thursday.