Although convalescent and physically absent from the traditional Way of the Cross on Good Friday at the Colosseum in Rome, Pope Francis has left his spiritual mark on the most solemn celebration of Holy Week by personally writing the meditations that were read during the fourteen stations of the Way of the Cross.
The 88-year-old pontiff did not participate in person because he is still recovering from a serious respiratory infection that kept him hospitalized for 38 days in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, from which he is still not fully recovered.
Pope Francis, absent at the Stations of the Cross
His absence was not a surprise this time – as in previous years when he cancelled his attendance due to low temperatures – but was already scheduled in the Vatican calendar.
In his place, Cardinal Baldassare Reina, the Pope’s Vicar for the Diocese of Rome, presided over the ceremony in the majestic Roman amphitheater, which year after year gathers thousands of faithful and is followed by millions through global broadcasts.
A profound spiritual message in every season
Through his meditations, published by VaticanNews, the Pope proposes a profoundly human and social approach to the Passion of Christ.
In one of his central reflections, Francis contrasts two realities: God’s economy and the economy of today’s world.
La economía de Dios no mata, no descarta, no aplasta. Es humilde, fiel a la tierra
Papa Francisco
In contrast, he denounces a “dehumanized” economy, dominated by algorithms, cold calculations and implacable interests, where the value of one is crushed by the weight of the ninety-nine.
The message is clear: in a world ruled by profitability, the Gospel proposes another way, one where every life counts.
Prayers for the forgotten and for peace
Each station of the Stations of the Cross was accompanied by a prayer written by the pope, many of them dedicated to the margins of society.
Francis prayed for those “who are at the borders and feel that their journey is over,” for those who have no voice, no power and no money, and for those who are invisible in the eyes of the world.
At the last station, the pope raised a universal prayer:
“May your peace come for the earth, the air and the water.
May your peace come to the just and the unjust.
May your peace come to those who are invisible and voiceless.
May your peace come to him who waits for a righteous rebirth.”
He also called for unity for the Church, recognizing “the fragility of our love” and praying for a profound conversion of heart, citing the words of St. Francis of Assisi.
Pope continues his gestures outside of protocol
Despite his fragile state of health, Francis has not stopped making personal and symbolic gestures.
This Holy Thursday, as has become a tradition since his election in 2013, he visited the Roman prison of Regina Coeli, in the Trastevere neighborhood, where he met with 70 inmates.
He did not celebrate Mass or wash feet as in previous years, but his silent presence was a message in itself.
Will you give the ‘Urbi et Orbi’ blessing?
The Vatican has not yet confirmed whether the pope will be able to give the traditional “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) blessing next Easter Sunday from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Francis’ public appearances this Holy Week will depend strictly on his medical evolution and could be announced at short notice, as has happened in other recent celebrations.
For millions of the Hispanic faithful in the United States – many of them migrants facing injustice, discrimination and economic hardship – the pope’s message on the “economy that does not kill” is especially relevant.
His invitation to embrace humility, to care for the little ones and to seek a real and concrete peace touches the wounds of our society and proposes a path of hope based on faith.
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