Overview
- Leo XIV, who leads the Good Friday Way of the Cross at Rome’s Colosseum, will carry the wooden cross through all 14 stations himself.
- On Holy Thursday he celebrated at the Lateran Basilica and washed the feet of twelve Roman priests, reversing Pope Francis’ practice of visiting prisons or shelters for the rite.
- He said he wants to be a voice for those who suffer and invited people of goodwill to become peacemakers, framing the gesture as prayerful solidarity.
- He has kept a diplomatic focus by confirming Cardinal Pietro Parolin as secretary of state, naming Cardinal Matteo Zuppi a peace envoy for Ukraine, and departing after Easter for a ten‑day visit to Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea.
- This Easter is his first as pope and contrasts with last year’s fraught Holy Week under a gravely ill Francis, presenting a healthier and more active papal presence.