Gerald R. Barnes is executive director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat for Hispanic Affairs, whose mission is to assist the Catholic Church in its efforts to serve the large Hispanic population in the United States.

Read an Atlanta Journal-Constitution story from April 2, 2004 about Archbishop John F. Donoghue order of priests from that archdiocese to not wash women’s feet.

Read a March 27, 2013, National Catholic Register post on answering the questions about Holy Thursday.

Read an April 10, 2004, Boston Globe story describing how Roman Catholic Archbishop Sean P. O’Malley declined to wash the feet of women on Holy Thursday, saying that Jesus had only male disciples.

Read a March 28, 2013, article on the Church of England’s modern twist of foot-washing for Maundy Thursday.

Learn about the history and activities for Maundry Thursday in this Catholic Online article.

Read a March 30, 2013 Huffington Post article about how Pope Francis washed the feet of two female inmates at a local juvenile detention center.

Read an article on the history of foot-washing (and the connection between this ceremony and baptism) from the Catholic Encyclopedia.

Jeremy Gunn is director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s new Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief. The ACLU filed an amicus brief in support of UDV.