The Pope prays in silence

VATICAN CITY (EFE).— Pope Francis silently presided this Good Friday over the rite for the Passion of Christ in St. Peter’s Basilica, a ceremony in which the pain of war, immigration or violence once morest women.

Francisco entered the temple in the wheelchair that he usually uses due to his well-known mobility problems, dressed in the red vestments of the Passion and without the Fisherman’s ring, a symbol of papal power and that on this day the popes take off as a sign of mourning. .

After entering the basilica, without choirs, he prayed in silence before the Altar of Confession, on the tomb of Saint Peter, in front of a crucifix covered by a purple cloth (this year Bernini’s baldachin was covered by scaffolding for its restoration ).

The Liturgy of Good Friday is marked by mourning for the martyrdom and crucifixion of Christ and, therefore, it is the only day of the year in which mass is not celebrated, although communion is given.

Then three deacons intoned the passages from the Passion of Christ according to Saint John, from the arrest of the Lord to his death by crucifixion and his burial in the Sepulchre.

Afterwards, the preacher of the Papal Household, Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, gave a profound reflection on the power of the gesture of Jesus, who, he said, “reduced to the most radical helplessness on the cross, continues to love and forgive, without ever condemning.” .

“What a lesson for us who, more or less consciously, always want to shine! What a lesson especially for the powerful of the earth! For those among them who do not even remotely think regarding serving, but only regarding power for power’s sake,” he criticized.

The Capuchin recalled that Jesus continues to address modern man, to “the elderly, sick and alone,” whom “the world lets die in poverty, hunger, under bombs or at sea,” who “languish in a cell.” ” for their faith or to women “victims of violence.”

He also criticized the past idea of ​​triumph of the Catholic Church.

“In the past we often spoke of the ‘triumph of the Holy Church’. They prayed for it and their historical reasons were readily remembered. But what kind of triumph was in mind? Today we realize how different that type of triumph was from that of Jesus. But let’s not judge the past. There is always the risk of being unfair when we judge the past with the mentality of the present,” he said.

The rite was followed by 4,500 faithful in the central nave of the temple and by numerous prelates of the Roman Curia, dozens of cardinals and bishops.

Last night, Pope Francis was scheduled to preside for another year over the traditional Via Crucis, the representation of Jesus’ journey to the Cross, from 9:15 p.m. local time (8:15 p.m. GMT) in the Roman Coliseum, a symbol of the persecution of the first Christians.

For the occasion he wrote for the first time the meditations that are read at each station of the Via Crucis and in which he describes a world where “the madness of war”, “violence once morest women” reigns and in which “a keyboard is enough.” to write sentences.”