On Good Friday evening in Rome, Pope Leo XIV carried the cross through the Colosseum and led prayer for a suffering world. The cross was at the center of a solemn Crucis that drew about 30, 000 people into the night around the ancient arena. It was the first Good Friday of his pontificate, and the moment stood out because he carried the cross through all 14 stations.
Cross Through the Ancient Arena
The scene unfolded in the darkness of night at Rome’s Colosseum, where torch flames flickered against nearly 2, 000-year-old stone walls. Pope Leo XIV carried the cross directly in front of his face for nearly two hours as he prayed for victims of war, the defense of human dignity, the despairing and the lonely. The cross became the visible focus of the procession, and the crowd packed the streets around the arena joined the prayer.
This was the first time a pope had carried the cross for every station in more than three decades. Holy See Press Office Director Matteo Bruni said on April 3, using Vatican archival research, that St. John Paul II was the last pope to do so, carrying the cross from 1980 to 1994. The detail gave the evening an added weight, placing the cross within a rare and closely watched papal act of devotion.
Prayer for a Suffering World
The meditations for the celebration were written by Franciscan Father Francesco Patton, who previously served as custos of the Holy Land. He drew on his experience walking the historical Way of the Cross through the narrow streets of Jerusalem’s Old City, describing it as “a chaotic, distracting and noisy environment, surrounded by people who share our faith in him, but also by those who deride or insult him. ”
Father Patton said the Crucis mirrors how Christians are called to live faith, hope and charity in the real world, where the believer faces ongoing challenges and must strive to imitate Jesus. The cross, in that setting, was not only a ritual object but a public sign of prayer shaped by suffering, endurance and resolve.
What the Cross Meant in the Meditations
Each station included a Scripture reading, a quotation from St. Francis, a meditation by Father Patton and a short introspective litany prayer, followed by an Our Father in Latin and verses of the “Stabat Mater” prayer. The meditations linked Christ’s path to the present tense of human pain, especially at the 10th station, where the stripping of Jesus’ garments was connected to contemporary violations of human dignity.
The material cited authoritarian regimes, sexual abusers and an entertainment industry that exploits nudity for profit. It ended with a direct appeal: “Remind us, Lord, that each time we fail to recognize the dignity of others, our own dignity is diminished. ” The cross, in that framing, pointed not away from the world’s wounds but straight into them.
From the Basilica to the Arena
Earlier on Good Friday afternoon, Pope Leo XIV presided over the liturgy of the Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ in St. Peter’s Basilica. The service did not include Holy Mass, since Good Friday is the only day of the year on which Holy Mass is not celebrated. The liturgy centered on the Passion, the Adoration of the Cross and Holy Communion.
After the proclamation of the Passion, Fr. Roberto Pasolini, OFM Cap, delivered the homily and said Jesus transformed His crucifixion into an event of salvation. That message echoed through the evening in Rome as the pope carried the cross at the Colosseum, turning a traditional procession into a stark public prayer. What comes next will be measured in how the Vatican and the faithful carry the cross of this Good Friday into the days ahead.
