In a powerful sign of humility and devotion, Pope Leo XIV will personally carry the Cross during the Way of the Cross at Rome’s Colosseum this Good Friday, marking a deeply symbolic moment in his first Holy Week as Supreme Pontiff.
The annual Via Crucis, which commemorates Christ’s journey to Golgotha, will take place on April 3, with the Holy Father presiding over all fourteen stations. In a striking gesture, he will not only lead the liturgy but physically bear the Cross throughout the entire devotion. According to Vatican News, the Pope “will preside over all fourteen stations of the Way of the Cross at Rome’s Colosseum, carrying the Cross himself throughout the liturgy.”
This decision highlights a return to a more visibly penitential and participatory role for the Pope during one of the most solemn liturgies of the Church year. For the faithful, it offers a vivid reminder of Christ’s suffering and the call to carry one’s own cross in union with Him.
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This year’s meditations for the Via Crucis have been prepared by Franciscan Father Francesco Patton, a Friar Minor with deep ties to the Holy Land. According to Vatican News, Father Patton “has frequently given voice to the suffering of the people of the Middle East,” a region long marked by conflict and hardship. His reflections are expected to draw the faithful into prayerful solidarity with those enduring ongoing violence and instability.
The Vatican has announced that the texts of the meditations will be released earlier in the day, allowing Catholics around the world to spiritually unite themselves with the liturgy at the Colosseum.
The Good Friday Via Crucis at the Colosseum remains one of the most recognizable and moving public devotions of the Catholic Church. With Pope Leo XIV personally carrying the Cross, this year’s celebration is poised to leave a lasting spiritual impression on the global Church, inviting believers everywhere to walk more closely with Christ in His Passion.
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