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In a historic and deeply symbolic act, Pope Leo XIV carried a wooden cross through all 14 stations of the Way of the Cross at the Colosseum on his first Good Friday as the leader of the Catholic Church. This marked a significant moment as it was the first time in many years that a pope personally bore the cross to each station.
Speaking to reporters at Castel Gandolfo earlier in the week, Pope Leo XIV shared the significance of this gesture. “I believe it will serve as an important sign because of what the pope represents—a spiritual leader in today’s world,” he remarked. “There is a universal longing to hear a voice that acknowledges Christ’s enduring suffering, and I carry all this suffering in my prayer.”
The solemn procession began inside the Colosseum, where Pope Leo, accompanied by two torchbearers, lifted the cross and commenced the rite. The procession moved through the crowd outside and ascended the steep stairs of the Palatine Hill, where the pope concluded with a final blessing after an hour-long journey.
At the first station, which signifies the moment Jesus was condemned to death, a meditation was delivered, crafted specifically for Pope Leo’s inaugural Good Friday observance. This reflection highlighted the accountability of those in positions of authority, emphasizing that they will ultimately answer to God for their exercise of power.
Rev. Francesco Patton, who served as the custodian of the Holy Land from 2016 to 2025, prepared the meditation. It read, “The power to judge; the power to start or end a war; the power to instill violence or peace; the power to fuel the desire for revenge, or for reconciliation,” underscoring the profound moral responsibilities borne by those who wield influence over others.
Some 30,000 faithful gathered outside the pagan monument, following the stations as they were recited over loud speakers.
They included Sister Pelenatita Kieoma Finau from Samoa and a member of the Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary.
“We have been part of our parish stations of the cross, but this is so exciting. It is very meaningful to have the experience of being with the people of Rome on this special occasion,” she said.
Past processions
John Paul II carried the cross for the entire procession from his first Good Friday as pontiff in 1979 until his hip surgery in 1995, when he carried it just part of the way, according to AP reports at the time.
For the first two years of his papacy, Benedict XVI carried the cross for the first station inside the Colosseum, then followed other bearers in the procession that ends on a platform on the Palatine Hill.
Pope Francis never carried the cross, but participated in the procession until his health worsened. He died after a long illness last year on Easter Monday, which fell on April 21.
Pope John Paul II was just 58 when he became pope, and was known as a hiker and outdoorsman. His two successors were in their late 70s when they began their papacies, and Francis was missing part of a lung due to a pulmonary infection as a young man.
The Way of the Cross commemorates the final hours of Jesus’ life, from his death sentence to taking up the cross to his crucifixion, death and burial. The procession ends outside the Colosseum atop the Palatine Hill.
“The Way of the Cross is not intended for those who lead a pristinely pious or abstractly recollected life,” Patton wrote in his introduction. “Instead, it is the exercise of one who knows that faith, hope and charity must be incarnated in the real world.”
At 70, Leo is physically fit and an avid tennis player and swimmer. Before becoming pope, Leo would work out regularly at a gym near the Vatican, with a plan befitting a man in his early 50s, according to his former trainer.
The pope’s Holy Week activities
On Holy Saturday, the pontiff will preside over a late night Easter vigil, during which he will baptize new Catholics, and lead Roman Catholics into Christianity’s most joyous celebration marking Christ’s resurrection.
On Easter Sunday, the pope will celebrate an open-air Mass in St. Peter’s Square before delivering his Easter message and offer the traditional “Urbi et Orbi” blessing to the city of Rome and the world.
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