Pope Leo XIV carried a wooden cross through all 14 stations of the Way of the Cross at the Colosseum in Rome on Good Friday, becoming the first pontiff in decades to complete the full procession, a moment of striking physical symbolism on his first Easter as head of the Catholic Church. The hour-long torchlit ceremony, watched by thousands gathered outside the ancient amphitheatre, saw Leo ascend steep stairs to the Palatine Hill where he gave the final blessing.
The last pope to carry the cross through every station was John Paul II, who maintained the tradition from his first Good Friday in 1979 until hip surgery in 1995 forced him to carry it only part of the way.
Pope Francis, whose papacy ended before Leo’s election, never carried the cross himself due to his declining health. Leo’s decision to carry the 1.5-metre wooden cross flanked by two torchbearers for the entirety of the procession has been widely read as a statement of physical vigour and pastoral intent at the outset of his pontificate.
What it means for African Catholics
South Africa is home to an estimated 3.5 million Catholics, making it one of the largest Catholic communities on the continent. Pope Leo XIV’s first Easter has been watched closely by African Catholics who form a growing share of the global Church’s membership.
Leo’s papacy comes at a moment when the Catholic Church’s centre of gravity is shifting toward the Global South, and his first year in office has been marked by a series of gestures intended to signal his awareness of that demographic and theological shift.
Leo is scheduled to lead the Easter vigil on Holy Saturday, during which he will preside over the baptism of new Catholics, the symbolic centrepiece of the Church’s liturgical year.
The Urbi et Orbi blessing on Easter Sunday, broadcast globally, will be the most widely watched moment of his first Easter as pontiff.
Easter for South Africa’s Catholic community
South Africa’s Catholic bishops have encouraged parishes to hold extended Holy Week services this year, and the SABC confirmed it will carry live coverage of the Easter Sunday Mass and Urbi et Orbi blessing.
Catholics in South Africa observing Good Friday are marking the occasion as a day of fast and abstinence.
For South African Catholics who want to follow the Vatican’s Easter programme, the Vatican’s official livestream is available at vaticannews.va.
The Easter Sunday Mass begins at 10:00 local Rome time, which is 11:00 SAST.
