Pope Leo XIV walked the full Way of the Cross at Rome’s Colosseum on Good Friday, personally bearing a wooden cross through all 14 stations — a physical commitment no pope has made since John Paul II did so routinely before a hip surgery three decades ago.
At 70, Leo is described by those who know him as genuinely fit. His former personal trainer has said that before his election, Leo followed a gym regimen more typical of someone in their early 50s. He is also a regular tennis player and swimmer — a contrast to his two immediate predecessors, both of whom began their papacies in their late 70s, and to Francis, who had part of a lung missing from a pulmonary infection suffered in his youth.
The hour-long procession began inside the ancient arena, where Leo lifted the cross flanked by two torchbearers, and wound through the crowd before ascending steep stairs to the Palatine Hill, where he gave the closing blessing. About 30,000 people gathered outside to follow along as the stations were read over loudspeakers.
Leo had signaled the significance of the gesture earlier in the week, speaking to reporters near the papal retreat at Castel Gandolfo. “I think it will be an important sign because of what the pope represents, a spiritual leader in the world today, and for this voice, that everyone wants to hear, that says Christ still suffers,” he said. “I carry all of this suffering in my prayer.”
The meditations accompanying the procession were written by Rev. Francesco Patton, who served as custodian of the Holy Land from 2016 to 2025. At the opening station — representing Jesus being condemned to death — Patton’s text drew a direct line between that moment and the responsibilities of anyone who holds power today. “The power to judge; the power to start or end a war; the power to instill violence or peace; the power to fuel the desire for revenge, or for reconciliation,” the meditation read.
His framing of the entire exercise was equally pointed. “The Way of the Cross is not intended for those who lead a pristinely pious or abstractly recollected life,” Patton wrote. “Instead, it is the exercise of one who knows that faith, hope and charity must be incarnated in the real world.”
Among those present was Sister Pelenatita Kieoma Finau of Samoa, a member of the Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary. “We have been part of our parish stations of the cross, but this is so exciting,” she said. “It is very meaningful to have the experience of being with the people of Rome on this special occasion.”
Benedict XVI, during his first two years as pope, carried the cross only at the initial station inside the Colosseum before others took over. Francis participated in the procession but never bore the cross himself, and eventually stepped back as his health declined. He died following a prolonged illness last year on Easter Monday, April 21.
John Paul II — an avid hiker and outdoorsman who was 58 when he became pope — carried the cross for the full procession from his first Good Friday in 1979 until 1995, when hip surgery curtailed his participation.
On Holy Saturday, Leo is scheduled to preside over the Easter Vigil, during which he will baptize new Catholics into the faith.
