Pope denounces 'violent fundamentalism' at Good Friday procession
Francis' first Good Friday2:49 Way of the Cross processions re-enact crucifixion
Pope Francis praised the "friendship of so many Muslim brothers" during the Good Friday procession that re-enacts Jesus Christ's crucifixion and this year was dedicated to the plight of Christians in the Middle East.
The nighttime Way of the Cross procession at Rome's Colosseum is one
of the most dramatic rituals of Holy Week, when Christians commemorate
the death and resurrection of Christ. With torches lighting the way, the
faithful carried the cross to different stations where meditations and
prayers were read out recalling the final hours of Christ's life.
This year, the meditations read out were composed by young Lebanese
faithful. Many of the prayers referred to the plight of Mideast
Christians and called for an end to "violent fundamentalism," terrorism
and the "wars and violence which in our days devastate various countries
in the Middle East."
Francis, who became pope just weeks ago, chose, however, to stress
Christians' positive relations with Muslims in the region in his brief
comments at the end of the ceremony.
He recalled Benedict XVI's 2012 visit to Lebanon when "we saw the
beauty and the strong bond of communion joining Christians together in
that land and the friendship of our Muslim brothers and sisters and so
many others," he said. "That occasion was a sign to the Middle East and
to the whole world: a sign of hope."
Before becoming pope, Francis was Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, and
he long cultivated warm relations with Muslim leaders in his native
Argentina.
Pilgrims throng Jerusalem
In Jerusalem,
hundreds of Christians streamed through the cobblestone alleyways of the
Old City on Friday, hoisting wooden crosses and chanting prayers to
mark the crucifixion of Jesus.
Throngs of pilgrims walked a traditional Good Friday procession that
retraces Jesus' steps along the Via Dolorosa, Latin for the "Way of
Suffering." They followed his 14 stations, saying a prayer at each and
ending at the ancient Holy Sepulcher church.
Along the route, Franciscan friars in brown robes chanted prayers in
Latin and explained the different stations to crowds through a
megaphone. One man dressed as Jesus wearing a crown of thorns was
flanked by men posing as Roman soldiers and had fake blood dripping down
his chest as he lugged a giant cross down the street.
Christian
Catholic pilgrim lights a candle inside the Church of the Holy
Sepulcher, traditionally believed to be the site of the crucifixion of
Christ, in Jerusalem's Old City. (Bernat Armangue/Associated Press)
"The
most perfect love that was ever seen in the world was when Jesus died
for us. He showed us the perfection of love," said Mary.
Good Friday events kicked off with a morning service at the cavernous
Holy Sepulcher, which was built on the place where tradition holds
Jesus was crucified, briefly entombed and resurrected. Clergy dressed in
colorful robes entered through the church's large wooden doors as
worshippers prayed in the church courtyard.
Later Friday, a service was due in Bethlehem's Church of the
Nativity, built atop the traditional site of Jesus' birth. Christians
believe Jesus was crucified on Good Friday and resurrected on Easter
Sunday.
Roman Catholic and Protestant congregations that observe the new,
Gregorian calendar, mark Easter this week. Orthodox Christians, who
follow the old, Julian calendar, will mark Good Friday in May.
Less than two per cent of the population of Israel and the
Palestinian territories is Christian, mostly split between Catholicism
and Orthodox streams of Christianity. Christians in the West Bank
wanting to attend services in Jerusalem must obtain permission from
Israeli authorities.
Israel's Tourism Ministry said it expects some 150,000 visitors in
Israel during Easter week and the Jewish festival of Passover, which
coincide this year.
Filipino devotees re-enact crucifixion
Devotees
in villages in the northern Philippines took part in a bloody annual
ritual to mark Good Friday, a celebration that mixes Roman Catholic
devotion and Filipino folk beliefs and sees some re-enact the
crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
The crucified devotees spent several minutes nailed to crosses in
Pampanga province while thousands of tourists watched and took photos,
which the church discourages. Earlier in the day, hooded male penitents
trudged through the province's villages under the blazing sun while
flagellating their bleeding backs with makeshift whips. Others carried
wooden crosses to dramatize Christ's sacrifice.
Devotees undergo the hardships in the belief that such extreme
sacrifices are a way to atone for their sins, attain miracle cures for
illnesses or give thanks to God.
Ruben
Enaje (centre), 52, was one of several devotees in northern Philippines
to re-enact the crucifixion of Jesus Christ by being nailed to a cross. (Romeo Ranoco/Reuters)
Alex
Laranang, a 58-year-old vendor who was the first to be nailed to a
cross Friday, said he was doing it "for good luck and for my family to
be healthy."
It was the 27th crucifixion for sign painter Ruben Enaje, 52, one of
the most popular penitents from San Pedro Cutud village. He began his
yearly rite after surviving a fall from a building.
Enaje screamed in pain as men dressed as Roman soldiers hammered
stainless steel nails into his palms and feet. A wireless microphone
carried his voice to loudspeakers for everyone watching to hear.
His cross was raised and he was hanged there for several minutes
under the searing afternoon sun before the nails were pulled out and he
was taken on a stretcher to a first aid station.
"It's intriguing and fascinating what makes people do something like
this, how you can believe so much that you make yourself suffer to that
extent," said Dita Tittesass, a tourist from Denmark.
Remigio de la Cruz, the chief of San Pedro Cutud village, explained that the practice began in his village in the 1950s.
Archbishop Jose Palma, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference
of the Philippines, told the church-run Radio Veritas that the practice
is "not the desire of Jesus Christ."
"We are aware that this has been practiced long before ... but we
still hope that this will not be done any more," he said. "We should all
concentrate on prayers."
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