Pope Leo XIV to Carry Cross Through All Stations at Colosseum on Good Friday
Pope Leo XIV will personally carry the cross through all 14 stations of the Way of the Cross at the Colosseum on Good Friday, marking the first time in decades a pope has done so.
Pope Leo XIV will personally carry the wooden cross through all 14 stations of the Way of the Cross at Rome's Colosseum on Good Friday, April 3, marking the first time in decades a pope has undertaken this act throughout the entire procession.
"I think it will be an important sign because of what the pope represents, a spiritual leader in ... ," Leo told reporters this week outside ... "I carry all of this suffering ... ."
The last pontiff to fully carry the cross during the procession was Pope John Paul II, who maintained the tradition from his first Good Friday as pope in 1979 until his ... .
Pope Leo, aged 70, is known for his physical fitness and active lifestyle, including tennis and swimming.
The Way of the Cross event, commemorating the final hours of Jesus' life, draws large crowds and concludes atop the Palatine Hill. This year's meditations were composed by Franciscan Father Francesco Patton, former Custos of the Holy Land, who emphasized that faith, hope, and charity must be incarnated in the real world.
Following the Good Friday procession, Pope Leo will preside over Easter vigil rites at St. Peter's Square on Holy Saturday and celebrate an open-air Mass on Easter Sunday, culminating in the traditional "Urbi et Orbi" blessing to the city of Rome and the world.
