Pope Francis will celebrate Holy Mass on Maundy Thursday in a prison in Rome

Pope Francis has made the surprise decision to celebrate Holy Mass on Maundy Thursday in a juvenile detention center in Rome, rather than in St. Peter’s basilica. While he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires, then Cardinal Bergoglio generally celebrated his Holy Mass on Maundy Thursday at a prison or hospital. The Holy Mass on Maundy Thursday is traditionally scheduled in the Basilica of St. John Lateran.