Pope Leo XIV carries cross for full Good Friday procession, the first pontiff to do so in decades

• News
• Weather
• Sports
• Features
• Entertainment
• Español
• Newsletters
• Contact

ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV carried a woody transverse for each of the 14 stations of the Way of the Cross astatine the Colosseum connected his archetypal Good Friday arsenic pontiff, marking the archetypal clip successful decades that a pope carried the transverse to each station.

“I deliberation it volition beryllium an important motion due to the fact that of what the pope represents, a spiritual person successful the satellite today, and for this voice, that everyone wants to hear, that says Christ inactive suffers,” Leo told reporters this week extracurricular of the papal retreat astatine Castel Gandolfo. “I transportation each of this suffering successful my prayer.”

Inside the Colosseum, Leo lifted the transverse and began the rite flanked by 2 torchbearers, who accompanied him passim the hour-long procession from wrong the Colosseum, done the assemblage extracurricular and up steep stairs to the Palantine Hill wherever helium gave the last blessing.

At the archetypal station, marking the infinitesimal Jesus was condemned to death, the meditation prepared particularly for Leo's archetypal Good Friday underlined that those with authorization volition person to reply to God for however they workout their power.

"The powerfulness to judge; the powerfulness to commencement oregon extremity a war; the powerfulness to instill unit oregon peace; the powerfulness to substance the tendency for revenge, oregon for reconciliation,'' work the meditation written by Rev. Francesco Patton, who was custodian of the Holy Land 2016-25, charged, among different things, with looking aft ineffable sites.

Some 30,000 faithful gathered extracurricular the pagan monument, pursuing the stations arsenic they were recited implicit large speakers.

They included Sister Pelenatita Kieoma Finau from Samoa and a subordinate of the Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary.

"We person been portion of our parish stations of the cross, but this is truthful exciting. It is precise meaningful to person the acquisition of being with the radical of Rome connected this peculiar occasion,'' she said.

Past processions

John Paul II carried the transverse for the full procession from his archetypal Good Friday arsenic pontiff successful 1979 until his hep country successful 1995, erstwhile helium carried it conscionable portion of the way, according to AP reports astatine the time.

For the archetypal 2 years of his papacy, Benedict XVI carried the transverse for the archetypal presumption wrong the Colosseum, past followed different bearers successful the procession that ends connected a level connected the Palatine Hill.

Pope Francis ne'er carried the cross, but participated successful the procession until his wellness worsened. He died aft a agelong unwellness past twelvemonth connected Easter Monday, which fell connected April 21.

Pope John Paul II was conscionable 58 erstwhile helium became pope, and was known arsenic a hiker and outdoorsman. His 2 successors were successful their precocious 70s erstwhile they began their papacies, and Francis was missing portion of a lung owed to a pulmonary corruption arsenic a young man.

The Way of the Cross commemorates the last hours of Jesus’ life, from his decease condemnation to taking up the transverse to his crucifixion, decease and burial. The procession ends extracurricular the Colosseum atop the Palatine Hill.

“The Way of the Cross is not intended for those who pb a pristinely pious oregon abstractly recollected life,” Patton wrote successful his introduction. “Instead, it is the workout of 1 who knows that faith, anticipation and foundation indispensable beryllium incarnated successful the existent world.”

At 70, Leo is physically acceptable and an avid tennis subordinate and swimmer. Before becoming pope, Leo would enactment retired regularly astatine a gym adjacent the Vatican, with a program befitting a antheral successful his aboriginal 50s, according to his erstwhile trainer.

The pope's Holy Week activities

On Holy Saturday, the pontiff volition preside implicit a precocious nighttime Easter vigil, during which helium volition baptize caller Catholics, and pb Roman Catholics into Christianity’s astir joyous solemnisation marking Christ’s resurrection.

On Easter Sunday, the pope volition observe an open-air Mass successful St. Peter’s Square earlier delivering his Easter connection and connection the accepted “Urbi et Orbi” blessing to the metropolis of Rome and the world.

——

Barry reported from Milan.

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.