Pope Leo XIV leads the faithful at the Good Friday Way of the Cross by carrying the Cross throughout the Colosseum in Rome.

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Pope Leo XIV presides over the solemn liturgy of the Lord's Passion on Good Friday in St. Peter's Basilica, and Fr. Roberto Pasolini, OFM Cap, the Preacher of the Pontifical Household, underscores in his sermon that by walking the Way of the Cross, the Lord learned the most difficult obedience: that of love for the other, even when the other appears as an enemy.

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In a Good Friday message, Archbishop Socrates Villegas invites the faithful to confront the darkness of sin and rediscover the light of Christ through repentance and faith.

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A message from the Custos of the Holy Land thanks those who have contributed to the Good Friday collection that supports schools, parishes, charitable works, social projects and emergency interventions.

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A message of nonviolence and quiet endurance marked the Good Friday liturgy at the Vatican, during which the Passion of Christ offers an example of breaking the cycle of violence that continues today.

Delivering the homily during the solemn Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion ahead of the evening Via Crucis, Capuchin Father Roberto Pasolini, the preacher of the papal household, urged the faithful not to give into violence, but rather find the "discreet and stubborn song that invites (us) to love."

"We are all constantly tempted to use a little bit of aggressiveness, a little bit of violence, thinking that without these means things will never be resolved," he said April 3 in St. Peter's Basilica. "The servant of the Lord cannot give in to this instinct."

The rite began with Pope Leo XIV's silent procession down the central nave. Dressed in red vestments, symbolizing the blood of Christ’s Passion, he somberly lay prostrate before the altar, a sign of adoration and penance. The readings recounted Christ's passion and death on the cross.

At the moment of the veneration of the cross, the pope removed his chasuble and shoes and knelt before the crucifix in a gesture of humility. Clergy followed one by one, venerating the cross on bended knee and with a kiss.

Father Pasolini’s homily echoed Pope Leo's repeated calls for an end to war, warning that "in a time like ours, still so lacerated by hatred and violence, where even the name of God is invoked to justify wars and decisions of death…."

He said this evil continues "to circulate because it always finds someone willing to return it and multiply it."

The homily emphasized that resisting this evil of violence is neither easy nor instinctive. Faced with injustice, the natural human reaction is to retaliate or "even the scores." Yet Jesus refused that instinct entirely.

"He accepts everything without returning violence," Father Pasolini said. 

Jesus "broke this chain," not through superior force, but by embracing suffering and responding with forgiveness, silence and compassion, the papal preacher said.

Father Pasolini pointed to what he called a "silent line of people," ordinary men and women who, often unnoticed, choose to resist hatred in their daily lives.

"They get up every day and try to make their life something that is not only for them, but also for others," he said. "They carry burdens that they have not chosen, they receive wounds without becoming bitter, they don't stop looking for the good, even when it seems useless."

Richard of Wyche, also known as Richard of Chichester, was born at Wyche (Droitwich), Worcestershire, England. He was orphaned when he was quite young. He retrieved the fortunes of the mismanaged estate he inherited when he took it over, and then turned it over to his brother Robert. Richard refused marriage and went to Oxford, where he studied under Grosseteste and met and began a lifelong friendship with Edmund Rich. Richard pursued his studies at Paris, received his M.A. from Oxford, and ...

During a telephone call with the Ukrainian President on Friday morning, Pope Leo XIV reaffirms his closeness to the Ukrainian people.

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Pope Leo XIV and President of the State of Israel, Isaac Herzog, speak by phone on Friday morning on the occasion of the Easter festivities. The conversation focused on the need to put an end to the serious ongoing conflict.

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Fr. Ibrahim Faltas, Head of Schools of the Custody of the Holy Land, reflects on how on the morning of Good Friday, 10 Franciscan friars were able to carry out the ancient rite of the Way of the Cross through the Old City of Jerusalem.

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The Holy See Press Office releases the meditations for the Good Friday ‘Via Crucis’ at the Colosseum, in which Fr. Francesco Patton lays out St. Francis’ example of how Christians can incarnate the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love in the real world.

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