Pope misses Good Friday procession, Vatican yet to confirm other appearances
Pope Francis, still recovering from double pneumonia, did not attend an annual procession on Friday at Rome’s Colosseum with thousands of Catholic faithful for the third year in a row.
The 88-year-old, who is limiting his public appearances on doctors’ orders, skipped an outdoor ceremony for Good Friday, the day Christians mark Jesus’ crucifixion.
The Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) at the Colosseum is a re-enactment of Jesus’ death. (Reuters: Remo Casilli)
What happens on Good Friday in Rome?
To mark the occasion, each year the Pope normally leads a symbolic re-enactment of Christ’s route to martyrdom in a torchlit procession in Rome.
Participants take turns holding the cross of his crucifixion as they walk in and around the ancient Roman arena, stopping to pray and hear meditations.
Good Friday leads on Sunday to Easter, the most important date in the Church’s liturgical calendar — commemorating the day Christians believe Jesus rose from the dead.
The Colosseum is believed to have been a place of martyrdom for early Christians. (Reuters: Remo Casilli)
Where is Pope Francis?
Francis, pope since 2013, nearly died during his five-week bout with double pneumonia.
The Vatican said Francis had personally written the meditations for the ceremony this year, for the second time in his 12-year papacy.
The reflections, each starting with a brief Bible reading, were short and addressed themes including war, economic difficulties, and the place of women in the Catholic Church.
The Vatican has not yet said whether Francis will attend other Easter services over the weekend.
The pope also skipped an earlier ceremony at the Vatican on Thursday.
Participants take turns holding the cross of his crucifixion as they walk in and around the ancient Roman arena. (Reuters: Remo Casilli)
JD Vance attends Easter services in Rome
US Vice President JD Vance and his family, visiting Italy for Easter, were among attendees at a ceremony in St. Peter’s Basilica for Good Friday.
Mr Vance, a Catholic who has clashed with Pope Francis over the Trump administration’s immigration policies, was seen entering the event with his wife Usha and their three young children.
Mr Vance carried one of the children in his arms.
The pope has made caring for migrants one of the key themes of his 12-year papacy.
He has sharply criticised the Trump administration’s plans to deport millions of migrants in the US, calling the policy a “disgrace”.
Mr Vance, who became Catholic in 2019, has cited medieval-era Catholic teaching to justify the immigration crackdown.
The pope rebutted the theological concept Vance used to defend the crackdown in an unusual open letter to the US Catholic bishops about the Trump administration in February, and called Trump’s plan a “major crisis” for the US.
“What is built on the basis of force, and not on the truth about the equal dignity of every human being, begins badly and will end badly,” said the pope.
US Vice President JD Vance, his wife Usha and their three young children were among attendees at a ceremony in St. Peter’s Basilica for Good Friday. (Reuters: Yara Nardi)
Mr Vance is expected to have a formal meeting at the Vatican on Saturday with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Church’s most senior official after the pope.
The pope is not expected to take part.
Catholic officials in the US have also criticised the Trump administration’s cuts to foreign aid and domestic welfare programmes.
The US Catholic bishops’ conference announced this month that, due to the cuts, it would end a half-century of partnerships with the federal government to provide services to migrant and refugee populations.
Mr Vance may also attend the Vatican’s celebration of Easter in St Peter’s Square on Sunday.
The Vatican has not said yet whether the pope will attend the ceremony.
Reuters
>read more at © abc news
Views: 0