Global Way of the Cross processions and Pope Leo carries cross for full march
發佈日期: 2026-04-04 20:06
TVB News
Through the Christian Holy Week, faithful around the world have commemorated the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in processions and prayers from the Vatican to the Americas -- and also war-torn Middle East.
An annual Good Friday tradition since the 1960s.
The Way of the Cross ceremony at Rome's Colosseum led by the Pope -- commemorates the final hours of Jesus' life: from his death sentence to taking up the cross to his crucifixion, death and burial.
Outside the monument, some 30,000 faithful gathered and followed the stations as they were recited over loud speakers.
This year, Pope Leo XIV carried the cross through all 14 stations -- the first pontiff in decades to lift the cross himself for the entire procession.
Ascending the stairs to the Palatine Hill, Pope Leo gave the final blessing.
In Rome, the pagan colosseum was where gladiators once battled to their death.
Legend has it that Christians were also thrown to the lions here, and that is why this monument has become an important symbol of Christian martyrdom.
At the Vatican's Good Friday prayer service presided over by Pope Leo, the preacher exhorts, in such times of "hatred and violence," "even the name of God is invoked to justify wars," Christians are "called to approach the Lord's cross without fear," and place "our lives at the service of others."
In Lebanon, Christian villagers in Rmeish mark Good Friday with processions and prayers for those roiled by the ongoing Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon. Israel has declared that southern Lebanon up until the Litani River will be a "security-zone." Over one million people in Lebanon have been displaced over the past month.
Christian faithful in Gaza City, remembering Good Friday in sombre chants and reverence.
This church has been a shelter for dozens of families that remained in the Gazan compound since 2023.
Commemorating too are devotees across Latin America.
In Ecuador's capital Quito, filling the streets were thousands of "Veronicas" and "Cucuruchos," who wear purple robes -- representing penitence in this procession.
Winding through one of Rio de Janeiro's largest favela the Good Friday procession wound through the narrow streets with a two-decade local tradition of "Via Crucis" -- the re-enactment of Jesus' final moments through the crucifixion.
Good Friday is part of the Holy Week, the Christian observance that leads to Easter Sunday, when Christians mark the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
