Pope Leo Xiv To Carry Cross For Entire Procession, The First Pontiff To Do So In Decades

ROME — Pope Leo XIV will personally transportation nan woody transverse done each 14 stations of nan Way of nan Cross astatine nan Colosseum connected his first Good Friday arsenic pontiff, marking nan first clip successful decades that a pope carries nan transverse to each station.

“I deliberation it will beryllium an important motion because of what nan pope represents, a belief leader successful nan world today, and for this voice, that everyone wants to hear, that says Christ still suffers,” Leo told reporters this week extracurricular of nan papal retreat astatine Castel Gandolfo. “I transportation each of this suffering successful my prayer.”

John Paul II carried nan transverse for nan full convoy from his first Good Friday arsenic pontiff successful 1979 until his hep room successful 1995, erstwhile he carried it conscionable portion of nan way, according to AP reports astatine nan time.

For nan first 2 years of his papacy, Benedict XVI carried nan transverse for nan first position wrong nan Colosseum, past followed different bearers successful nan convoy that ends connected a level connected nan Palatine Hill.

Pope Francis ne'er carried nan cross, but participated successful nan convoy until his wellness worsened. He died aft a agelong unwellness past twelvemonth connected Easter Monday, which fell connected April 21.

Pope John Paul II was conscionable 58 erstwhile he became pope, and was known arsenic a hiker and outdoorsman. His 2 successors were successful their precocious 70s erstwhile they began their papacies, and Francis was missing portion of a lung owed to a pulmonary infection arsenic a young man.

At 70, Leo is physically fresh and an avid tennis subordinate and swimmer. Before becoming pope, Leo would activity retired regularly astatine a gym adjacent nan Vatican, pinch a scheme befitting a man successful his early 50s, according to his erstwhile trainer.

Crowds are expected to stitchery extracurricular of nan Colosseum for nan Way of nan Cross, which commemorates nan last hours of Jesus’ life, from his decease condemnation to taking up nan transverse to his crucifixion, decease and burial. The convoy ends extracurricular nan Colosseum atop nan Palatine Hill.

The meditations, which are publication aloud astatine each station, were composed by nan Rev. Francesco Patton, who was custos (or custodian) of nan Holy Land from 2016 to 2025, charged, among different things, pinch looking aft ineffable sites.

“The Way of nan Cross is not intended for those who lead a pristinely knowledgeable aliases abstractly recollected life,” Patton wrote successful his introduction. “Instead, it is nan workout of 1 who knows that faith, dream and kindness must beryllium incarnated successful nan existent world.”

On Holy Saturday, nan pontiff will preside complete Easter vigil rites astatine St. Peter’s Square and lead Roman Catholics into Christianity’s astir joyous ceremony marking Christ’s resurrection.

On Easter Sunday, nan pope will observe an open-air Mass successful St. Peter’s Square earlier delivering his Easter connection and connection nan accepted “Urbi et Orbi” blessing to nan metropolis of Rome and to nan world.