Pope Francis lies as he prays during the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican April 18. (CNS photo/Stefano Rellandini, Reuters)
ROME — Standing in the midst of a giant cross outlined with small torches, Pope Francis said the cross is a reminder of how much evil people are capable of and how much love Jesus had for a sinful humanity.
“It was a heavy cross like the night for those who are abandoned, heavy like the death of a loved one and heavy” because it took on all the pain of evil, he said, presiding over the nighttime Way of the Cross April 18.
Standing atop a hillside overlooking Rome’s Colosseum, the pope told the thousands of people who gathered with him in prayer that Jesus shows “that evil will not have the last word,” and love, mercy and forgiveness will be victorious.
“From the cross we see the monstrosity of mankind when it lets itself be guided by evil. But we also see the immensity of the mercy of God, who doesn’t treat us according to our sins, but according to his mercy.”
Do not forget those who are sick and abandoned with their own cross, but pray “they find the strength of in the trials of the cross, the hope of God’s resurrection and love,” he said before imparting his blessing.
The solemn torch-lit service gave powerful voice to the many social and spiritual problems facing the world and to the redeeming power of Christ’s sacrifice for humanity.
By passing a bare wooden cross from one group of people to the next in succession, those chosen to lead the Way of the Cross acted as visible representatives of the often-hidden injustices still wounding the world. Although most stations had multiple representatives, only one at each station physically carried the cross.
The smallest of three children held the cross as a reflection was read about the plight of sexually abused minors, and two inmates carried and accompanied the cross during a reflection on the anguish of imprisonment and torture.
As he did last year, Pope Francis remained on the hillside terrace in silent reflection and prayer as thousands of people, many holding candles, attended the ceremony, which was broadcast by more than 50 television networks around the world.
Each year, the pope chooses a different person or group of people to write the series of prayers and reflections that are read aloud for each of the 14 stations, which commemorate Christ’s condemnation, his carrying the cross to Golgotha, his crucifixion and his burial.
This year the pope picked Italian Archbishop Giancarlo Maria Bregantini of Campobasso-Boiano — a former factory worker, longtime prison chaplain, champion of the unemployed and fiercely outspoken critic of the Italian mafia.
In the meditations, the archbishop, who belongs to the Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata, looked at how the wounds and suffering of Christ are found in the wounds and suffering of one’s neighbors, family, children and world.
