Pope Leo XIV marked a striking departure from recent Vatican custom this Good Friday, personally bearing a wooden cross through all 14 Stations of the Cross in a solemn display of faith and physical endurance.
According to Breitbart, the pontiff, flanked by two torchbearers, carried the cross throughout an hourlong procession that began inside the Roman Colosseum, wound its way through dense crowds outside, and concluded with a final blessing on Palantine Hill. Nearly 30,000 Christians gathered to witness the event, the first time a pope has carried the cross for the entirety of the Good Friday devotion since 1995, when Pope John Paul II did so following hip surgery.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the observance, Leo underscored the spiritual weight of the gesture and the suffering it symbolizes in a world increasingly hostile to Christian belief. I think it will be an important sign because of what the pope represents, a spiritual leader in the world today, and for this voice, that everyone wants to hear, that says Christ still suffers, Leo told reporters this week. I carry all of this suffering in my prayer.
The contrast with his predecessors health and vigor was not lost on observers, particularly in an era when secular elites often portray the Church as fading and frail. Pope John Paul II was just 58 when he became pope, and was known as a hiker and an outdoorsman. His two successors were in their late 70s when they began their papacies, and Francis was missing part of a lung due to a pulmonary infection as a young man, noted CBS News.
At 70, Leo is physically fit and an avid tennis player and swimmer. Before becoming pope, Leo would work out regularly at a gym near the Vatican, with a plan befitting a man in his early 50s, according to his former trainer, it added. The Vatican, emphasizing the spiritual dimension over the spectacle, also released the Holy Fathers reflections for The Way of the Cross on its official website.
The Way of the Cross winds through the narrow streets in the Old City of Jerusalem, allowing us to retrace Jesus path from the place of his condemnation to that of his crucifixion and burial, which is also the site of his resurrection, the introduction says. This route is not reserved for the devout or those seeking a quiet space for prayer. Rather, as in the time of Jesus, we find ourselves walking through a chaotic, distracting and noisy environment, surrounded by people who share our faith in him, but also by those who deride or insult him. Such is the reality of our daily life, it adds.
In a further nod to tradition and humility that resonates with Christians who value continuity and reverence, the Holy Father also became the first pope in 13 years to wash the feet of priests on Holy Thursday. At a time when Western institutions increasingly abandon their Christian roots, Leos public embrace of sacrifice, service, and unapologetic faith offers a countercultural witness that many believers, including conservatives wary of secular overreach, see as urgently needed.
Login