Pope Francis has visited a refugee center to wash and kiss the feet of Muslim, Orthodox, Hindu and Catholic refugees – a gesture of welcome at a time when anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiment has risen after the Brussels and Paris attacks. Francis celebrated the traditional Easter Week foot-washing ceremony at a refugee shelter in Castelnuovo di Porto, outside Rome, inaugurating the most solemn period of the Catholic Church’s Easter season. The Holy Thursday rite re-enacts the foot-washing ritual Jesus performed on his apostles before being crucified, and is meant as a gesture of service.

However, former Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-MN) feels that Pope Francis “isn’t doing Europe any favors” by coming in contact with the feet of “people who are carrying all sorts of germs and diseases which Europeans and Americans won’t be able to defend from.” “I think he was wrong to do it in the first place, let’s get that out of the way right now. I understand the he’s the Pope and that he has all sorts of duties and obligations, but how can you do your job if you’re sick, or worse, dead? You can’t, and that’s why he should have come up with some sort of excuse not to do it. And I haven’t even begun to describe how gross the whole kissing-other-people’s-feet deal is, by the way.”

“He needs to get vaccinated to boost his immune system,” Bachmann added. “And I’m not saying that because he’s old, that has nothing to do with his age. I mean sure, his immune system is not as strong as that of a younger person, but young or old, there’s no fighting something you’re not prepared for. And the diseases Syrians and other refugees are carrying with them are way more dangerous for Europeans and Americans than any of the stuff we already have. You have to understand, those people lived in huts and holes in the ground, they drank water from wells in the desert, they didn’t have basic hygiene for the better part of their lives. Their bodies are not the same as ours, they are much more resilient. And that’s why they’re dangerous, because they carry stronger infections and viruses.”

The former Congresswoman also added, “If I were him, I’d check into the nearest hospital, because I don’t know what’s going to happen next. If he’d only kissed one foot, that would be dangerous. But from what I’ve seen, he’s touched and kissed at least a dozen different feet. That’s like going into CDC’s virus vault and injecting yourself with anthrax, AIDS and malaria at the same time. And like I said – he’s not getting any younger. If he doesn’t get examined by a doctor soon, we’ll be looking at electing a new Pope very quickly.”