Pope Leo XIV carried the cross through all 14 stations of the Via Crucis at Rome’s Colosseum on Good Friday, leading about 30,000 people in prayer for those suffering across the world. The evening celebration on 3 April marked the first Good Friday of his pontificate and unfolded against the illuminated backdrop of the ancient arena long associated with Christian memory of Christ’s passion and the martyrs.
As darkness fell, torchlight flickered against the stone walls of the Colosseum while pilgrims and visitors filled the surrounding streets. The Pope bore the cross for nearly two hours, holding it before his face as the stations moved from Christ’s condemnation to his burial. According to Vatican archival research relayed by Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, it was the first time in more than three decades that a Pope had personally carried the cross throughout every station. St John Paul II was said to have done so from 1980 until 1994.
