The pontiff, who has recently recovered from bronchitis, will attend the Via Sacra procession from his residence.
The Pope renounces the Way of the Cross in the Colosseum on Friday night. “Due to the low temperatures of these days, Pope Francis will walk the Via Sacra this evening from his residence, the Santa Marta Guest House, and will join in the prayers of those who will meet with the Diocese of Rome in the Colosseum,” said the Press Room from the Vatican.
Francis spent three nights in the hospital last week with bronchitis. The 86-year-old man was discharged from the clinic on Saturday, and a day later he was again leading Palm Sunday mass in St. Peter’s Square.
Refugees must carry the cross
The wars in the world and the urgent appeal for peace are the central theme of the Way of the Cross on Friday night at the Coliseum. According to the Vatican, refugees from various war-torn countries must carry the cross from station to station: from Ukraine to Nigeria, from Iraq to South Sudan, from Syria to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The refugees who will carry the cross are among the victims of “World War III bit by bit” that the Pope continues to speak about, the Vatican said on Good Friday. During meditations at the stations, the aim is to draw attention to the suffering of Christians in some regions of the world, such as the Middle East, or to the tensions that are rekindling in some areas, such as the Balkans. The Greco-Catholic Church of Hagia Sophia in Rome, which for the past year has served as a center for humanitarian aid from Italy and the Holy See to Kiev, will make a contribution to Ukraine.
Thousands of Catholics celebrate the Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum in Rome on Friday. The procession starts at 21:15. The Via Crucis symbolically traces Jesus’ suffering from his condemnation to his death on the cross. Before the procession of the Way of the Cross, the pontiff celebrates the liturgy of Good Friday (5 pm) in St. Peter’s Basilica.
(APA)