Ukrainian and Russian women wear a cross while attending the Via Crucis procession during the Good Friday celebrations at the Colosseum in Rome, Italy, April 15, 2022. REUTERS / Guglielmo Mangiapane TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com
I’m registering
ROME, April 15 (Reuters) – A Ukrainian woman and a Russian woman took part in Pope Francis’ Way of the Cross on Good Friday, but the meditation they wrote was canceled after Ukrainians protested, saying the war made it inappropriate.
The traditional Via Crucis procession at the Colosseum in Rome was embroiled in controversy earlier this week when the program revealed that two friends, a nurse and a student nurse at a hospital in Rome, would take part.
The candle service consists of the 14 Baptismal Stations, stages between Jesus’ death sentence and his burial. It is often customized so that those who carry the cross from one station to another reflect world events.
Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com
I’m registering
Major Archbishop Svyatoslav Shevchuk, head of the Byzantine Catholic Church in Ukraine, called their inclusion inappropriate and ambiguous, as it “does not take into account the context of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine.”
The original text of the meditation, which the two women wrote, spoke of death, loss of values, rage, reconciliation and reconciliation despite the bombing.
Shevchuk said the text, which was approved by the Vatican, was “unrelated and even offensive, especially in the context of the expected second, even bloodier attack by Russian troops on our towns and villages.”
Ukraine’s ambassador to the Vatican, Andriy Yurash, also expressed concern.
On Friday night, the original text of about 200 words was replaced by two sentences: “Faced with death, silence is the most eloquent of words. Let us all stop in silent prayer and let each one pray in his heart for peace in the world.
The crowd of several thousand then fell silent for as long as it took to read the original, longer meditation.
Francis sat watching the procession in a white chair.
In his own last prayer, he prays to God to allow “adversaries to shake hands so that they can taste mutual forgiveness, to disarm the hand raised from brother to brother, so that consent springs from where there is now hatred.”
Since the beginning of the war, Francis has only mentioned Russia explicitly in prayers, such as during a special global peace event on March 25. But he made clear his opposition to Russia’s actions, using the words invasion, aggression and atrocities.
Moscow calls its actions in Ukraine a “special military operation” designed not to occupy territory but to demilitarize and “denationalize” the country. Francis implicitly rejected this definition.
The war in Ukraine is expected to continue to overshadow the Pope’s remaining activities during Holy Week.
On Saturday night, Francis will lead a liturgy for the Easter Vigil in the basilica.
On Easter Sunday, the most important day in the Christian liturgical calendar, he will celebrate a liturgy in St. Peter will continue to deliver his message and blessing twice a year “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world).
Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com
I’m registering
Report by Philip Pulella Edited by Nick Zieminski
Our standards: Thomson Reuters’ principles of trust.
Add Comment