Pope Francis surprisingly withdrew from the Good Friday procession at Rome’s Colosseum at the last moment. The Vatican stated that the decision was made to conserve his health for the upcoming Easter week events. The Pope’s schedule for the subsequent two days incorporates the Easter Vigil service on Saturday night and the Easter Mass, along with a biannual message and blessing, Urbi et Orbi (to the city and world) on Sunday morning.
This sudden withdrawal by the 87-year-old Pope could stimulate renewed worries about his health as his mobility is restricted due to his recurring bouts of bronchitis, influenza and a knee condition, which require him to use a cane or wheelchair.
On Sunday, Good Friday segues into Easter, considered the most significant and jubilant occasion in the Church’s liturgical timeline, marking the day Christians believe Jesus resurrected from death.
The Vatican announced the Pope’s non-participation in the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) procession just as it was about to commence, stating he would witness it remotely from his Vatican residence.
Despite appearing healthier this week after a period where he had difficulty speaking publicly and had to cancel some meetings, Francis has missed this procession earlier as well. Last year, he missed the procession while recovering from bronchitis that necessitated a four-day hospital stay.
The Via Crucis held at the Colosseum reflects Jesus’s crucifixion, where participants sequentially hold the cross, walking in and around the historic Roman arena, pausing for prayer and reflection. The event was attended by a diverse group, including nuns, priests, a recluse, charity workers, migrants, and disabled individuals. The Colosseum, a notorious monument where early Christians were believed to have undergone martyrdom.
For the first time in his 11 years of papacy, Francis personally penned the meditations for this year, appreciating meekness and forgiveness as reactions to wickedness. The meditations also included prayers for Christians undergoing persecution and victims of war.
Always advocating for the Church to become less dominated by males, the Pope acknowledged the women who assisted Jesus while he bore the cross. He also prayed for contemporary women who suffer exploitation and indignities.
Francis, showing his commitment towards women, carried out the foot-washing ceremony in a women’s jail in Rome on Thursday. The ceremony is a reflection of Jesus’s act of humility with his apostles at the Last Supper. On Friday, the Pope joined the cardinals and bishops for the Service of the Lord’s Passion at St Peter’s Basilica, which centred on Latin hymns narrating the incidents from Jesus’ apprehension to his entombment.
Usually, Francis begins the service with a prostrate posture on the floor of the basilica but due to his infirm condition, this is no longer feasible. Instead, he made his entrance in a wheelchair and silently offered prayers at the primary altar. This information has been provided by Reuters and is copyrighted by Thomson Reuters 2024.