Pope skips Good Friday procession at Rome’s Colosseum to preserve health, Vatican says
Rome, Italy AP Pope Francis skipped the traditional Good Friday procession at Rome’s Colosseum to protect his health, the Vatican said, adding to concerns about his frail condition during a particularly busy liturgical period. Francis had been expected to preside over the Way of the Cross procession, which re-enacts Christ’s Passion and crucifixion, and composed the meditations […]
After bronchitis, cold weather forces Pope to skip outdoor service
Rome, ItalyReuters Pope Francis presided at one indoor service on Good Friday, but doctors ordered him to skip an outdoor evening “Way of the Cross” procession at Rome’s Colosseum after being hospitalised last week for bronchitis. Francis was following the service from his residence in the Vatican as a precaution after the temperature fell in […]
Pope, other leaders, appeal for end to “nuclear nightmare”
Rome, ItalyAP Pope Francis joined other religious leaders Tuesday at Rome’s Colosseum to make a plea for peace and ending what they called the “nuclear nightmare” as fears intensify that Russia’s war against Ukraine may see atomic weapons used. A ceremony at the ancient Roman arena capped a conference on promoting world peace. The Sant’Egidio […]
Text at Pope’s Good Friday service scrapped after Ukrainian protest
Rome, ItalyReuters A Ukrainian and a Russian woman took part in Pope Francis’ Good Friday “Way of the Cross” service, but the meditation they wrote was scrapped after Ukrainians protested, saying the war made it inopportune. The traditional Via Crucis procession at Rome’s Colosseum had become embroiled in controversy earlier this week when the programme […]
Asia Bibi’s family and Boko Haram survivor visit Pope
World Watch Monitor Rome’s Colosseum was bathed in red light on Saturday night in solidarity with victims of religious persecution. As Reuters reported, the light-show marked a meeting between Pope Francis and family members of Asia Bibi, the Pakistani Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy and in prison since 2009, and Rebecca Bitrus, a Nigerian […]
Rome’s Colosseum to be floodlit red to remember Asia Bibi and Boko Haram victim
World Watch Monitor The Colosseum in Rome will be floodlit in red later this month to highlight the persecution of Christians around the world, particularly in Iraq and Syria. The iconic landmark, in which some of the earliest Christians are believed to have been martyred under the Romans, will be floodlit red on 24th February, […]