Thousands of faithful attended Pope Francis’ “Way of the Cross” prayer service at Rome’s Colosseum on Friday, a ceremony overshadowed by the war in Ukraine. Due to the Covid pandemic, it was the first time the traditional Good Friday event, which commemorates the day Jesus Christ died on the cross in the Christian calendar, was held at the Egyptian monument since 2019. It also falls two days before Easter, the most important holiday in Christianity. The pope, who has repeatedly condemned the conflict in Ukraine and called for an Easter ceasefire, prayed for “adversaries to shake hands” and “taste mutual forgiveness.”
“I’m going to disarm the raised hand of brother against brother,” he said.
“I’ve lived in Rome for more than 30 years, but it seemed very important to come today,” Stefania Cutolo, a 52-year-old Italian professor, told AFP as a choir practised for the evening event.
“The message tonight is doubly important after two years of closure due to the pandemic.” “We must act in this context of resurgent nationalism in Europe,” she added.
The Pontiff opened this highlight of Holy Week shortly after 9 p.m. (1900 GMT) in front of 10,000 faithful.
The Way of the Cross event, which has been held in the sumptuously illuminated Roman amphitheatre since 1964, has been held in Saint Peter’s Square in the Vatican for the last two years, with very poor attendance due to the health crisis.
“We meet people from all over the world here, and we hear all languages. It’s fantastic “enthused Marie-Agnes Bethouart, 71, who arrived at the event on Friday with her husband and two grandchildren.
A yellow and blue flag stood out among all the candles in the crowd. They are the national colours of Ukraine.
Two women, one Russian and one Ukrainian, who have been lifelong friends, were among the families entrusted with having to carry the crucifix at each of the 14 stations of the cross.
The women carried the cross during one of the 14 stations of Jesus’ suffering and death, from his denunciation to his burial, commemorated by the Way of the Cross.
– ‘Irresponsible’ –
However, Ukrainian officials were not pleased with the Vatican’s initiative, which was intended as a gesture of reconciliation in the face of the war that began on February 24.
On Tuesday, Bishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, condemned a “inappropriate, premature, and ambiguous idea that fails to take into account the background of Russia’s military aggression.”
The Ukrainian ambassador to the Holy See, for his part, stated that he “shared the general concern.”
