In Vatican City, Pope Francis led a Good Friday service at St. Peter’s Basilica before a night-time procession at the Colosseum in Rome, commemorating the somber day in the Christian calendar that marks Jesus’ crucifixion.
Good Friday is followed by Easter on Sunday, the most significant and joyful date in the Church’s liturgical calendar, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
Francis is scheduled to preside over an Easter Vigil service on Saturday, followed by Easter Mass on Sunday and his “Urbi et Orbi” message and blessing from the balcony of St. Peter’s.
Although the 87-year-old pontiff, who has mobility and respiratory issues, appeared more agile this week, he arrived at St. Peter’s in a wheelchair alongside cardinals and bishops for the Good Friday service.
In previous years, Francis would begin the service by prostrating himself on the marble floor of the basilica, but his physical limitations now prevent him from doing so. Instead, he silently prayed in front of the altar from his wheelchair.
The Passion of the Lord service includes Latin chants recounting events from Jesus’ arrest to burial, and unlike most services, the pope does not deliver a homily during this one, leaving it to the preacher of the papal household.
Later on Friday, Francis was expected to lead the “Via Crucis” procession at the Colosseum, where participants walk around the ancient arena carrying a cross, reenacting Jesus’ final hours and pausing for prayers and meditations.
This year, Francis personally wrote the meditations for the procession, a first in his 11-year papacy. They focused on meekness, forgiveness in response to evil acts, and prayers for persecuted Christians and victims of war.
The pope also expressed admiration for the women who assisted Jesus as he carried the cross and called attention to the plight of women facing exploitation and injustice in modern times.
In a gesture highlighting his emphasis on women, Francis performed the foot-washing ritual at a women’s prison in Rome on Thursday, recalling Jesus’ act of humility towards his apostles at the Last Supper.
(Reporting by Alvise Armellini; editing by Mark Heinrich)
