30,000 pilgrims from all continents were present for this profoundly spiritual event which Pope Paul VI revived in 1965 but which goes back to the early centuries of Christianity when pilgrims went to Jerusalem to retrace the path of Jesus to his crucifixion and burial.
Pope Leo XIV
Posted inNews
Pope Leo carries the cross at the Colosseum, leading thousands in Good Friday prayer for suffering world
The 70-year-old pope carried the cross through all 14 stations of the Way of the Cross, holding it 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.
Posted inVatican Dispatch
On Good Friday, Pope Leo speaks with presidents of Israel and Ukraine, calling for an end to war
Pope Leo XIV spoke about the need to end the wars in the Middle East and in Ukraine in phone conversations with the presidents of Israel and Ukraine on this Good Friday morning, April 3.
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Pope Leo’s Holy Thursday homily: ‘In this dark hour of history,’ do not shy away from your mission
As Catholics prepare for Easter on Holy Thursday, Pope Leo also called on the faithful in his homily to overcome fear and a sense of powerlessness in responding to the world’s crises.
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Pope Leo to wash the feet of 12 priests on Holy Thursday, highlighting support for clergy
Rome-based Dominican Father Patrick Briscoe cautioned against viewing Pope Leo’s decision as a critique of Pope Francis, who often washed the feet of inmates and the underprivileged on Holy Thursday.
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Pope Leo XIV to carry cross at all 14 stations of Colosseum Way of the Cross
It will be the first time that a pope has carried the cross for every station in the Via Crucis since the tradition was revived at the site more than six decades ago.
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Pope Leo urges an Easter end to the US-Israel war on Iran, calling for dialogue
“I’m told that President Trump has recently stated that he would like to end the war,’’ the U.S.-born pope said. “I hope that he’s looking for an off-ramp.’’
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Is there a Catholic revival? Pope Leo seems to think so.
While research points to skepticism regarding a possible Catholic “revival”—following years of steady decrease in the number of faithful as parents struggle to pass down the faith to the new generations—some recent data and reports from Catholic dioceses have suggested growth in some pockets of Catholicism worldwide.
Posted inVatican Dispatch
Pope Leo fills two crucial positions at the Vatican
Pope Leo XIV is continuing to build out his administration, and today, March 30, the Vatican announced two handpicked appointments to key positions.
Posted inFaith and Reason
Do Catholics listen to what popes say about war?
I am left to wonder if national identity leads many to put country before God, and to see papal teaching as pious sentiment rather than an authentic expression of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the world today.