Passion in the world –

Millions of Catholics in the world yesterday commemorated the death of the Lord on the cross with traditional services, marches of silence, the rosary of condolences to the Virgin and living Via Crucis, on a day of Good Friday that was characterized by the strong heat in several regions.

In Jerusalem, hundreds of Christians took part in the customary procession between the limestone walls of the Old City, commemorating one of the holiest days of their faith with noticeably smaller crowds than in years past amid the war between Israel and Hamas.

In Nicaragua, hundreds of Catholics celebrated the Via Crucis in the gardens of the metropolitan cathedral of Managua and not in the streets, following police authorities prohibited all public activities, including religious activities, without prior authorization.

In Ecuador, massive processions took place yesterday in several regions marked by the participants’ insistent request for peace and security in a nation hit by crime, prison crises, assaults, robberies, murders and drug trafficking.

In Guatemala, dozens of men walked more than two kilometers on their knees, barefoot, with crowns of thorns on their heads and with a rosary in their hands, to ask forgiveness for their sins in a K’iche’ Mayan village in the northwest of the country.

In Peru, the “Cristo Cholo”, a traditional Peruvian representation of Jesus Christ by actor Mario Valencia, toured the main streets of the historic center of Lima yesterday followingnoon until ascending to San Cristóbal Hill, where the crucifixion was staged.

In Panama, a beaten and bloodied Jesus was recreated before the public gathered in the narrow streets of Panama Viejo, in a performance by a theater group that has been evangelizing for decades through culture, and made up, among others, of young people. rescued from the streets.

In the Philippines, the crucifixion of a dozen people was once once more the “highlight” of the Good Friday celebration, where the star was Ruben Enaje, a carpenter who broke his promise to retire and emulated the passion of Christ for the thirty-fifth time .— AP/EFE