However, he did not prostrate himself on the marble floor as he has at the start of similar services in the past. Instead, he stood for a few minutes with his head bowed.
Francis later sat down as a choir sang Gospel verses recounting events from Jesus’ arrest to his burial.
The Good Friday service is one of the few events in which the Pope does not deliver a homily, leaving it to the preacher of the papal household, Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa.
“This year we celebrate Easter not with the joyous sound of bells, but with the noise in our ears of bombs and explosions not far from here”Cantalamessa said, referring to the war in Ukraine.
Paraphrasing the biblical call for peace to “beat your swords into plowshares and your spears into pruning shears,” Cantalamessa spoke of the impact of “missiles on factories and homes.”
This year, the Vatican’s decision to allow both Ukrainians and Russians to participate in part of the procession has caused friction with Ukrainian Catholic leaders, who have called for it to be reconsidered.
On Saturday night, Francis will lead an Easter Vigil Mass at the basilica.
On Easter Sunday, the most important day in the Christian liturgical calendar, he will celebrate mass in Saint Peter’s Square, followed by his message and blessing “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world), which is repeated twice a year.
Source: Ambito
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