In his meditations for the Good Friday Way of the Cross at the Colosseum, presided over by Cardinal Baldo Reina on behalf of Pope Francis, the Holy Father offers a profound reflection on human suffering, divine love, and the pressing need for a change of heart in today’s world. Confronting the cold realities of modern economic systems—built on calculation, algorithms, and impersonal interests—Pope Francis urges a return to the path of the Savior. This path is open to every human being: an inward journey, a pause for conscience, and a deep contemplation of Christ’s suffering on the road to Calvary.
The meditations present the Way of the Cross as a descent Jesus willingly took into a world loved by God. It is a powerful act of responsibility and intercession. From the cross, Christ places Himself between conflicting sides and brings them to God, for His cross breaks down walls, cancels debts, quells judgments, and establishes reconciliation. Jesus, the true Jubilee, stripped of all, gazes even on His executioners with love, showing that He seeks the salvation of all.
Pope Francis invites believers to understand what he calls God’s economy, which stands in sharp contrast to the logic of today’s systems. God’s way does not discard, crush, or kill; rather, it is faithful, gentle, and rooted in the earth. It follows the path of the Beatitudes—nurturing, repairing, and protecting. Pope reflects on the divine economy as one that restores dignity and offers new life, emphasizing that while the Spirit breathes life into those who accept responsibility, many today find themselves breathless, weighed down by selfishness and indifference.
In his introduction to the Stations, the Pope describes this devotion as the prayer of a people on the move. In Jesus' footsteps toward Golgotha, humanity’s exodus to a new land is reenacted. The Way of the Cross disrupts the routines of a world that calculates everything, where even gratuitousness has a cost. Yet in the self-giving gift of love, reconciliation blooms, piety is renewed, and hearts of stone are softened.
The reflections also highlight the drama of human freedom. Jesus’ condemnation to death speaks of God’s profound trust in humanity’s freedom—despite the tragic misuse of that gift. Often, we remain prisoners of roles, systems, or fears, unwilling to accept the demands of change. Religious excuses, legal justifications, and social norms frequently pull us away from the truth of Christ’s silent love, which continues to challenge us from the cross.
Pope reflects on Jesus’ falls along the Way of the Cross as deeply human moments. His first fall teaches that holiness is found close to the earth, not in lofty escape. The repeated pattern of falling and rising speaks to the reality of human frailty and the joy of conversion. Despite a world shaped by numbers and cold calculations, the divine economy values each individual. Turning to Christ, who embraced weakness, becomes the path to joy and true freedom.
The story of Simon of Cyrene offers insight into how divine encounters often come uninvited. Forced to carry Christ’s cross, Simon represents all those who unexpectedly find themselves drawn into God’s work. Christ’s burden, while heavy, becomes light through love, and He invites us to share in His mission of renewal and healing.
Women also play central roles in the journey to Calvary. Mary, the first disciple, lives her yes as an ongoing discovery of God’s promises. Veronica, moved by compassion, receives Christ’s image on her veil—a sign of love enduring to the last breath. The daughters of Jerusalem are urged not just to mourn Christ but to weep for their own wounded world, with tears that speak from the heart.
As Jesus is laid in the tomb by Joseph of Arimathea, Pope Francis notes that hope does not die. It lives in those who, like Joseph, refuse to accept the victory of injustice. Jesus’ burial becomes a moment of anticipation, calling us to learn how to wait and to be attentive to the rhythms of creation. In this silence, Christ joins humanity in the depths of suffering, preparing the world for resurrection.
The meditations conclude with a prayer that echoes the themes of "Laudato Si’" and "Fratelli Tutti"—a plea for heartfelt conversion. With the words of Saint Francis, Pope Francis calls on all believers to pray for right faith, firm hope, perfect charity, and profound humility. As the King sleeps and silence covers the earth, the journey of the cross becomes not an end, but a threshold to new life.