Via Crucis in the Colosseum: Pope Will Carry the Cross at Each Station The Pope, León XIV, will preside over the Via Crucis ceremony in the Colosseum on Holy Friday, April 3, 2025. This event, held at the Anfiteatro Flavio, will mark the Pope’s first Via Crucis on Holy Friday, during which he will carry the cross at each of the 14 stations. The meditations for the ceremony, which recount Jesus’ journey to Golgotha, have been written by Francesco Patton, a Franciscan friar and former custodian of the Holy Land. The Office of the Press of the Holy See announced the meditations, set to be published on the morning of April 3 around noon. Francesco Patton, based at Mount Nebo in Jordan, has long been a voice for the suffering populations of the Middle East. His meditations for the 2025 ceremony reflect his deep engagement with the region’s challenges. This year’s event follows a tradition established in previous years, where the meditations were authored by Pope Francis. In 2024 and 2023, the Pope returned to Casa Santa Marta after a prolonged hospitalization at the Gemelli Policlinic in Rome. However, for the Holy Thursday rite on April 18, 2025, the ceremony was presided over by Cardinal Baldo Reina, the vicar of Rome for the Pope, at the Pope’s direction. The 2025 Via Crucis in the Colosseum is part of a broader tradition of commemorating Christ’s Passion through public rituals. The Colosseum, a symbol of Rome’s imperial past, has become a site for spiritual reflection, blending historical and religious significance. The Pope’s participation in carrying the cross at each station underscores the solemnity of the event, emphasizing the physical and spiritual burden of Christ’s journey.#colosseum #pope_leon_xiv #francesco_patton #anfiteatro_flavio #mount_nebo
