Story highlights
- Pope Francis leads the Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum in Rome
- Earlier, he celebrated Good Friday Mass at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican
- Good Friday, which recalls the day Jesus died on the cross, is a solemn day for believers
Thousands of Christians gathered at one of Rome's most famous landmarks Friday night as Pope Francis led the Catholic ceremony known as the Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum. Crowds of the faithful stood in solemn attendance, holding candles that cast a soft yellow glow over the ancient Roman site, as a giant cross made of dozens of flickering candles towered over the audience.
The Stations of the Cross, also known as the Way of the Cross, commemorates the passion and death of Jesus.
Earlier, the Pope led a service at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, also to mark Good Friday, the most solemn day of the Christian calendar.
Roman Catholics worldwide use the day to reflect on the Gospel account of the day Jesus died on the cross, before his resurrection from the dead three days later on Easter Sunday, according to Christian doctrine.
Holy Week, one of the most significant periods of the Roman Catholic year, will culminate on Easter Sunday with a Mass in St. Peter's Square, led by Pope Francis.
Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world
Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world
Holy Week around the world – Women in traditional costumes are sprayed with water by men as members of the Marghareta Dance Group perform Easter folk traditions of the region in the Museum Village in Nyiregyhaza, northeast of Budapest, Hungary, on Monday, April 21. Click through the gallery to see how Christians around the world are observing Holy Week, which marks the last week of Lent and the beginning of Easter celebrations.
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Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world
Holy Week around the world – Children and their parents gather on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on April 21 for the annual White House Easter Egg Roll.
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Holy Week around the world – Penitents take part in Laguna on the Spanish Canary Island of Tenerife on Saturday, April 19.
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Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world
Holy Week around the world – Residents re-enact Jesus Christ's crucifixion on a hilltop in the Petare shanty town during Holy Week in Caracas, Venezuela, on Friday, April 18.
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Photos: Photos: Holy Week around the world
Holy Week around the world – Pope Francis prays during the Stations of the Cross ceremony at the Colosseum in Rome on April 18.
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Holy Week around the world – People attend a Good Friday service on April 18 in St. Peter's Basillica at the Vatican.
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Holy Week around the world – Pope Francis lies on the floor in prayer before presiding over a Good Friday service in St. Peter's Basilica.
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Holy Week around the world – Women burn incense while participating in a Good Friday procession honoring the patron saint of Lima, Peru, on April 18.
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Holy Week around the world – Catholics participate in a procession as part of Good Friday activities in Guatemala City, Guatemala, on April 18.
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Holy Week around the world – Christian Orthodox pilgrims carry wooden crosses during a Good Friday procession in Jerusalem.
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Holy Week around the world – Worshippers of the Santisimo Cristo del Salvador brotherhood pray around the crucifix during a procession April 18 in Valencia, Spain.
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Holy Week around the world – Penitents, surrounded by several thousand people in Cuenca, Spain, carry a statue of Our Father Nazarene during the Good Friday procession "Way of Calvary."
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Holy Week around the world – People walk with crosses April 18 as the Northern Cross pilgrimage makes the final leg of its journey to Holy Island, England.
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Holy Week around the world – Faithful take part in a pilgrimage to the Cross of Villa Armonia during a possession to mark Good Friday in La Paz, Bolivia.
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Holy Week around the world – Penitents in San Fernando, Philippines, hang from wooden crosses on Good Friday as they take part in a re-enactment of Jesus Christ's crucifixion.
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Holy Week around the world – A man participates in a re-enactment of the carrying of the cross April 18 in Balmaseda, Spain.
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Holy Week around the world – Catholic worshippers perform a sea procession to transfer a statue of Jesus Christ from one church to another April 18 in Larantuka, Indonesia.
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Holy Week around the world – People take part in a Stations of the Cross re-enactment at the Raja Agung church in Bintan Island, Indonesia, on Good Friday.
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Holy Week around the world – Pope Francis kisses the foot of a woman in Rome on Thursday, April 17.
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Holy Week around the world – Pope Francis celebrates the Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on April 17.
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Holy Week around the world – A general view of St. Peter's Basilica during the Chrism Mass celebrated by Pope Francis on April 17 in Vatican City.
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Holy Week around the world – Christian believers take part in the ribbons procession as part of the Holy Week before Easter, in Cot, Cartago province, Costa Rica, on April 16.
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Holy Week around the world – A Filipino carries a wooden cross along a road on Maundy Thursday in San Fernando, Pampanga province, Philippines, on April 17.
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Holy Week around the world – Ethiopian Orthodox women pray at the Deir El Sultan monastery during the Washing of the Feet ceremony outside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on April 17. The church is traditionally believed by many to be the site of the crucifixion and burial of Jesus Christ.
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Holy Week around the world – Young penitents parade during a Holy Week procession in the northern Spanish Basque village of Segura on April 17.
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Holy Week around the world – Members of the Spanish Legion carry a statue of Christ of Mena on April 17 in Malaga, Spain.
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Holy Week around the world – Penitents take part in the Procesion del Silencio by the Cristo de las Injurias brotherhood on April 16 in Zamora, Spain.
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Holy Week around the world – A Catholic worshipper lights a candle at the tombs of ancestors during Holy Week celebrations known as Semana Santa on April 16, in Larantuka, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia.
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Holy Week around the world – Penitents take part in the Fusionadas brotherhood procession in Malaga, Spain, on April 16.
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Holy Week around the world – Penitents watch on from a damaged part of the Palo Cathedral during the Maundy Thursday Mass at Palo Cathedral in Palo, Leyte, Philippines, on April 17.
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Holy Week around the world – Penitents from Jesus del Via Crucis brotherhood cross a bridge as they take part in a procession in Zamora, Spain, on April 15.
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Holy Week around the world – Roman Catholics celebrate at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on April 14.
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Holy Week around the world – Egyptian Christians celebrate Palm Sunday during a service in the Samaan el-Kharaz Church in the Mokattam district of Cairo, Egypt, on April 13.
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Pope condemns clergy who sexually abused 02:14
On Holy Thursday, Pope Francis visited a home for the elderly and disabled, the Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, to wash the feet of "12 disabled people of different ages, ethnicities and religious confessions," during a special Lord's Supper Mass, according to the Vatican.
It was the second time he has broken with Vatican tradition and washed the feet of ordinary people rather than priests.
Last year, he washed the feet of two women and two Muslims at a juvenile detention center in Rome. Before this, modern popes only washed the feet of 12 priests at the Vatican, during the Mass of the Last Supper.
At his general audience Wednesday, Francis urged the faithful to seek an example in Jesus.
"This week, as we follow Jesus along the way of the cross, may we imitate his loving obedience to the will of the father, especially in times of difficulty and humiliation, and open our hearts to his gifts of reconciliation, redemption and new life," he said.
