Rome, April 15, 2022 – Ten thousand people for the Via Crucis with Pope Francis at the Colosseum. An immense crowd for the event that was once again accessible to the faithful after the two years of restrictions due to Covid. From Rome Bergoglio returned to invoke peace. Once again. Even before the start of the celebration, the pontiff launched a prayer via Twitter: “Lord, convert our rebellious hearts to your heart, because we learn to follow projects of peace; bring adversaries to shake hands, so that they may enjoy mutual forgiveness. ; disarms the raised hand of the brother against the brother, so that where there is hatred harmony may flourish “, the words written by Francis.
And then the Via Crucis which experienced its highlight just when Irina, a Ukrainian nurse, and Albina, a Russian residentthey carried the cross together to the XIII station, the one that remembers the death of Jesus on the cross. The Holy See did not step back an inch, despite the controversies that preceded the celebration. The program was therefore confirmed even though Francis’s choice had been defined as inappropriate – while the war was still underway – both by the Ukrainian embassy to the Holy See and by the Catholic Church in Kiev. To protest against the coexistence, the Ukrainian Catholic media did not broadcast the Via Crucis. “Newspapers such as Live TV of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, the Catholic magazine CREDO, Radio Maria and EWTN refused” to broadcast the celebration, reads the website of the Ukrainian Religious Information Service (Risu), affiliated with the Greek Church. catholic. The national television channels made the same choice. “The Ukrainians – reads the Risu website – believe that gestures of reconciliation are possible only after the end of the war and the repentance of the Russians”.
Via Crucis 2022 with Pope Francis, images of the Colosseum
But the Pope did not stop at the symbolic gesture with the two women, colleagues and friends in Italy for ten years. The Holy See has also modified the text of the XIII station, another point of contention on the eve: “In the face of death, silence is more eloquent than words. Let us therefore pause in a prayerful silence and each one in the heart pray for peace in the world” , the short invitation that replaced meditation. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni explained that it was “an expected change, which limits the text to a minimum in order to rely on silence and prayer”.
In short, Francis did not change his line one iota, concluding the celebration with these words: “Lord, bring the opponents to shake hands, disarm the hand of the brother raised against his brother” and let them “taste the harmony” . The Pope closes as he had started, tracing the tweet that preceded the Via Crucis. Another prayer for peace that unites all those who want to believe in peace. Of whatever faith, color or nationality they are.