Carrying a cross through Rome’s Colosseum on Good Friday will serve as a deliberate statement, Pope Leo XIV said — a visible reminder that suffering in the world has not ceased. “I think it will be an important sign because of what the pope represents: a spiritual leader in today’s world, a voice to say that Christ still suffers,” he told reporters. “And I carry all these sufferings in my prayers as well.”
The remarks came March 31, during an impromptu exchange with journalists outside Castel Gandolfo, the historic papal villa near Rome, where the pope spoke at length about ongoing wars and the Church’s call to peace during Holy Week.
Leo XIV directed pointed words at heads of state across the globe, urging them to abandon entrenched positions. “Come back to the table, to dialogue,” he said. “Let’s look for solutions to problems, let’s look for ways to reduce the amount of violence that we’re promoting, that peace — especially at Easter — might reign in our hearts.”
The pope drew a connection between the Easter season and the toll of modern conflict, noting that children are among those dying in active war zones. “Easter should be the holiest, most sacred time of the year,” he said. “It is a time of peace, a time for much reflection, but as we all know, once again in the world, in so many places, we are seeing so much suffering, so many deaths, even innocent children.”
On the question of American involvement in Middle East diplomacy, Leo said he had received word that President Donald Trump has expressed a desire to end the fighting. “I’m told that President Trump recently stated that he would like to end the war,” the pope said. “Hopefully he’s looking for an ‘off ramp.’ Hopefully he’s looking for a way to decrease the amount of violence, of bombing, which would be a significant contribution to removing the hatred that’s being created and that’s increasing constantly in the Middle East and elsewhere.”
He acknowledged the persistence of forces working against peace. “We make continuous appeals for peace, but unfortunately many people want to promote hatred and violence, war,” he said.
Addressing believers specifically, the pope urged the faithful to confront the reality of ongoing suffering rather than treat the holy days as an abstraction. He asked everyone, “especially Christians,” to “live these days recognizing that Christ is still crucified today, that Christ still suffers today in the innocent, especially those who are suffering from violence, hatred, and war.”
His closing appeal reached beyond religious boundaries. He asked “all people of goodwill, to people of faith, to walk together, to walk with Christ who suffered for us, to give us salvation, and to seek to be bearers of peace ourselves.”
