He Pope Francisco He was not present this Good Friday at the Colosseum in Rome to witness the traditional Via Crucis due to the “intense cold” that plagues the Italian capital, and according to the Holy See, He followed the celebration from his residence in the Vatican.
“Due to the intense cold these days, Pope Francis will follow the Via Crucis this followingnoon from Casa Santa Marta, joining the prayers of those who will meet with the Diocese of Rome at the Colosseum,” the press office reported.
An unusual cold wave occurred in recent days in Rome, with temperatures below ten degrees, especially at night, forcing the Pope – who suffered severe bronchitis – to preserve his health and take shelter.
It is that Francisco, 86 years old, was discharged from a hospital in Rome last Saturday following receiving treatment for this disease.
It was Cardinal Angelo De Donatis who directed the fourteen stations, or the Path of Peace, which were broadcast throughout the world. Francis did attend the previous celebration of the Passion of the Lord in St. Peter’s Basilica, where the cross was unveiled before it was carried into the procession.
Thousands of people attended the traditional Via Crucis of the Catholic religion that took place in the vicinity of the legendary Colosseum. It is one of the most fervent devotions that consists of passing in procession before a series of 14 crosses that represent the last moments of Jesus’ life before the Resurrection.
The pain for war and violence in the world marked the procession this Friday which was attended by more than 20,000 people.
Smiling, Pope Francis was discharged in Rome
In the first meditations, which are traditionally read at each of the 14 stations of Calvary suffered by Christ, representatives from Central America, South America and North Africa read texts with testimonies presented to the Pope during his travels. Drug trafficking, violence, displacement, corruption, were among the most touching stories.
“Wiping away the tears of others is not a waste of time, but the best medicine to heal yourself,” confessed a mother who lost her leg in a bomb explosion in Colombia in 2012.
“I am afraid of the future, for me and for the other boys. Why do we suffer in the displacement camp?” asked a 16-year-old boy from North Africa in the seventh station, dedicated to the fall of Jesus.
The testimonies of a young Ukrainian and a young Russian who were criticized
Among the most moving and emblematic moments was the request for peace from two young people, one from Ukraine and the other from Russia, who described in the tenth station the pain of war, the loss of a brother, the separation from the family.
“I am a young Russian. When I say it, I almost feel guilty, but at the same time I don’t understand why and I feel doubly bad. Stripped of happiness and dreams for the future,” he confessed.
“War has been the cross of our lives. War kills hope (…) In the name of Jesus, who opened his arms on the cross, extend your hand to my people!” he cried.
The Ukrainian ambassador to the Holy See, Andrii Yurash, publicly criticized the Pope’s decision to invite a Russian and a Ukrainian, countries at war, to read these testimonies together.
The activities in which Pope Francis participated before the Via Crucis
Organized since 1964 in the Roman amphitheater, specially illuminated for the occasion, the Via Crucis stopped being celebrated in that place only in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Since being released from the hospital on Saturday, Francis has participated in several public ceremonies at the Vatican, including the Palm Sunday Mass and the weekly Wednesday general audience.
On Thursday he washed the feet of 12 young people detained in a Rome prison to practice there the traditional rite of washing the feet of marginalized people.
On Sunday he will have to preside over the Easter mass in Saint Peter’s Square and give the traditional blessing “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world), in addition to reading the message regarding the world’s problems.
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