Pope Francis was tonight absent from a Good Friday procession in Rome in a last minute cancellation which the Vatican says was to 'preserve his health.'
It's the second year in a row the frail religious leader missed the 'Via Crucis' event, igniting fresh fears over the Francis's health, following repeated bouts of influenza and bronchitis. The Way of the Cross at the Colosseum is a re-enactment of Jesus' death by crucifixion, in which participants take turns in holding the cross as they walk in and around the ancient Roman arena, stopping to pray and hear meditations.
The liturgy dates back to the ninth century and is a dramatic event which sees a series of antiphons known as the 'improperia' or 'Popule Meus' chanted as a cross covered in a purple veil is gradually unveiled. 'We all have small failures, big failures,' said the pope in an impromptu homily during a mass held in the courtyard of the prison that holds some 370 women.The washing of feet is 'a gesture that draws our attention to the vocation of service,' said Francis, who as a priest in Buenos Aires had already begun visiting prisoners.
The traditional Good Friday procession passes along the Way of the Cross, or Via Dolorosa, the route believed to have been walked by Jesus to his crucifixion. Squads of Israeli police set up barricades along the path, rerouting shoppers in the Old City's bustling Muslim quarter to make way for hundreds of pilgrims.
Palestinian Christians take part in Good Friday procession in Jerusalem's Old City. The day's processions, which normally draw thousands of foreign visitors, were unusually local. Most observers were Palestinian Christians Enaje said that he has considered stepping back from the role due to his age, but added that he could not turn down requests from villager for him to pray for sick relatives and 'all other kinds of maladies'.
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