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Catholics gather for Easter Vigil Mass at St. Peter's Basilica on Saturday, April 19, 2025 / Credit: Zosia Czubak

Vatican City, Apr 19, 2025 / 15:15 pm (CNA).

Candlelight illuminated St. Peter’s Basilica during the Easter Vigil Mass on Holy Saturday where Pope Francis’ homily, read on his behalf, proclaimed the resurrection of Christ as “the definitive turning point in human history.”  

“It falls to us to proclaim this Easter hope, this ‘turning point’ where darkness becomes light,” the pope wrote in the homily, delivered by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals. 

“The risen Christ … is the hope that does not fade. He is the love that accompanies us and sustains us,” he said. “He is the future of history, the ultimate destination towards which we walk, to be welcomed into that new life in which the Lord himself will wipe away all our tears and ‘death, mourning and crying and pain will be no more.’” 

Although Pope Francis did not preside at the liturgy due to his ongoing recovery from a recent hospitalization for double pneumonia, he made a surprise appearance in the basilica about two hours before the Mass. He paused to pray and greeted some of the pilgrims who had been waiting for hours for the Easter Mass at the Vatican. 

The pope, who has delegated cardinals to preside over all Holy Week events, entrusted the Easter Vigil to Cardinal Re. The Mass included the blessing of the new fire, the lighting of the Paschal Candle, and the singing of the Exsultet, a hymn recalling the story of salvation from creation to Christ’s resurrection. 

Thirty-four cardinals, 24 bishops, and about 250 priests processed silently through the dark basilica with lit candles, symbolizing the light of Christ overcoming darkness. 

The basilica gradually became illuminated throughout the liturgy until the Gloria, when bells rang out and the altar was revealed adorned with Easter flowers. 

During the vigil, three people from Italy and Albania were baptized. The congregation prayed the Litany of the Saints and renewed their baptismal promises. 

“In the risen Jesus we have the certainty that our personal history and that of our human family, albeit still immersed in a dark night where lights seem distant and dim, are nonetheless in God’s hands,” the pope wrote. “In his great love, he will not let us falter, or allow evil to have the last word.” 

Referencing the Jubilee Year, Pope Francis encouraged the faithful to “let the hope of Easter blossom” in their lives. 

“When the thought of death lies heavy on our hearts … when we feel the wounds of selfishness or violence … let us not lose heart,” he wrote. “The light quietly shines forth, even though we are in darkness … and a new beginning, however impossible it might seem, can take us by surprise.” 

Pope Francis called on Christians to become messengers of this Easter hope through daily acts of love. 

“We can do this by our words, by our small daily acts, by decisions inspired by the Gospel,” he wrote. “Our whole life can be a presence of hope. We want to be that presence for those who lack faith in the Lord … for those who have given up … for the poor and oppressed … for the unborn and for children who are mistreated; and for the victims of war. To each of them let us bring the hope of Easter!” 

According to the Vatican, Cardinal Angelo Comastri, vicar general emeritus of Vatican City, is scheduled to preside over Easter Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square. 

State capitol in Dover, Delaware. / Jon Bilous/Shutterstock

CNA Newsroom, Apr 19, 2025 / 11:15 am (CNA).

Delaware's Democratic Gov. Matt Meyer is set to sign a controversial assisted suicide bill recently passed by the state legislature, one that has drawn opposition from Catholic advocates who warn that it will "put the lives of [the state's] most vulnerable citizens at risk."

Legislators passed Delaware House Bill 140 this week. The measure, once signed by the governor, will allow "a terminally ill individual who is an adult resident of Delaware to request and self-administer medication to end the individual's life."

Prior to his election in November Meyer signaled his intent to sign the bill, stating during a debate that people "should have a right to exercise their right to die."

If signed into law, the bill will make Delaware the 11th state to legalize physician-assisted suicide, joining California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. The District of Columbia also permits the practice.

'Government-sanctioned suicide'

The measure has drawn considerable criticism from Catholic advocates in the state. Supporters of assisted suicide have been attempting to institute the practice in Delaware for roughly a decade.

The Catholic Advocacy Network for Delaware had earlier urged residents to oppose the bill. "HB 140 is government-sanctioned suicide. It leads to a slippery slope, with vulnerable individuals — such as the elderly, disabled, or those experiencing depression — being pressured into choosing death over life," the group told state Catholics.

"Every state or country that has legalized physician-assisted suicide has experienced dangerous expansions and abuses of the law," the advocacy network said. "This practice threatens the values of compassion, care, and respect for human life - from conception to natural death - that we hold dear."

Wilmington Bishop William Koenig, who heads the lone Catholic diocese in the state, told residents earlier this month that there is "a great distinction between, on the one hand, death that comes naturally and, on the other hand, performing actions to bring on death."

"We are never required to undergo medical treatments that are 'extraordinary' (i.e., treatments that are burdensome, costly, or offer little hope of benefit)," the bishop wrote. "Not undergoing such treatments, however, is much different from having a physician providing the means for a patient to end one’s life."

In January of last year Koenig joined Baltimore Archbishop William Lori and Washington Archbishop Wilton Cardinal Gregory in issuing a pastoral letter, "A Better Way Forward," warning that assisted suicide "puts our most vulnerable brothers and sisters at risk of making decisions for themselves that are manipulated by factors such as disability, mental instability, poverty and isolation."

Society should "choose the path that models true compassion and dignity to those facing end of life decisions and protects the most vulnerable from the deadly proposition of physician assisted suicide," the bishops wrote.

Pope Francis has multiple times condemned medical practices that take human life. Last year he criticized euthanasia as "a failure of love" and "a reflection of a 'throwaway culture' in which 'persons are no longer seen as a paramount value to be cared for and respected'."

Euthanasia "is often presented falsely as a form of compassion," the Holy Father said.

"Yet 'compassion', a word that means 'suffering with', does not involve the intentional ending of a life, but rather the willingness to share the burdens of those facing the end stages of our earthly pilgrimage."

Texas capitol in Austin. / Credit: Gang Liu/Shutterstock

Seattle, Wash., Apr 19, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

The Texas House of Representatives this week approved a sweeping school choice bill, one hailed by the state’s Catholic bishops and which could significantly reshape how families access private and religious education in the state.

Senate Bill 2 passed 86–63 after intense debate. The bill would create a $1 billion Education Savings Account (ESA) program, giving eligible families up to $10,000 per student to spend on tuition, transportation, therapy, and other education-related expenses. It previously passed the state Senate in February. 

The measure now heads to a conference committee where lawmakers will reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions.

Texas Catholic leaders welcomed the bill’s passage this week. 

“Thank you to all who worked so hard for passage of this legislation that will give parents a true choice for the education of their children,” Bishop Michael Olson of the Diocese of Fort Worth said on X.

The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops likewise praised the vote, calling it the result of sustained collaboration. 

“We have worked alongside you and so many others for this day,” the bishops wrote, naming state House Speaker Dustin Burrows, state Gov. Greg Abbott, and other legislative champions of parental choice.

Abbott, who has made school choice a central plank of his legislative agenda, praised the bill’s passage. “I look forward to this school choice legislation reaching my desk, when I will swiftly sign it into law,” he posted on Instagram.

The vote was also celebrated by longtime school choice advocates. The Texas Public Policy Foundation, which has supported ESA legislation for years, called the bill’s passage a generational victory.

Growing share of Catholic students take part in school choice

This week the National Catholic Educational Association reported that nearly 1 in 5 Catholic school students across the U.S. now participate in a school choice program — up nearly 5 percentage points from last year. 

In states with robust choice legislation, Catholic schools are seeing enrollment stabilize and even grow after decades of decline.

Texas’ 230 Catholic schools serve approximately 75,000 students, many from working-class and immigrant families. With tuition averaging more than $7,000 per year, schools have long relied on parish subsidies and scholarship funds to make education accessible, meaning the proposed ESA could make Catholic education a sustainable option for many families. 

While Catholic leaders and school choice advocates cheered the vote, others in the Texas Legislature criticized the measure. Every state House Democrat opposed the bill, arguing that it would siphon funds away from public schools already facing budget shortfalls.

State Rep. James Talarico proposed putting the issue to a statewide vote. His amendment failed.

“Private school vouchers will take money out of our public schools and give it to wealthy parents who are already sending their kids to private school,” he claimed after the vote.

Amendments to expand the bill’s eligibility and support lower-income families were also rejected, drawing further criticism from Democrats and public school advocates.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced Thursday that he would recommend the state Senate concur with the House version without changes. 

“I’ve fought for school choice for my entire legislative career. Now, in consultation with Sen. Brandon Creighton, I am recommending the Senate concur with Senate Bill 2 — the largest school choice launch in American history,” Patrick wrote on X.

The bill also expands vocational training pathways. State Rep. Gary Gates told CNA the ESA framework aligns with House Bill 20, which he authored to allow high school students to attend Texas State Technical College full time.

“We have an incredible shortage of highly skilled labor in this country,” Gates said. “Here, a high school student could come out of school with no debt.”

If enacted, the ESA program could launch as early as the coming academic year.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance shares a moment of laughter with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, during their meeting at the Vatican on Holy Saturday, April 19, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media/Screenshot

CNA Newsroom, Apr 19, 2025 / 07:35 am (CNA).

U.S. Vice President JD Vance was received at the Vatican Secretariat of State by Cardinal Pietro Parolin on Holy Saturday morning, where the two discussed international relations, religious freedom, and humanitarian concerns.

The April 19 meeting included Secretary of State Parolin and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary for relations with states and international organizations, according to a statement from the Holy See Press Office.

“During the cordial talks, satisfaction was expressed for the good existing bilateral relations between the Holy See and the United States of America, and the common commitment to protect the right to freedom of religion and conscience was reiterated,” the Vatican statement noted.

The discussions centered on the pressing problems of the global stage, “especially regarding countries affected by war, political tensions, and difficult humanitarian situations, with particular attention to migrants, refugees, and prisoners.”

Both parties expressed hope for continued positive collaboration between the U.S. government and the Catholic Church in America, with the Vatican acknowledging the Church’s “valuable service to the most vulnerable people.”

During his time in Rome, Vance and his family participated in the solemn Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday evening at St. Peter’s Basilica.

The Holy Saturday meeting took place at a time when the Vatican and President Donald Trump’s administration have traded back-and-forths over plans to deport large numbers of immigrants who entered the country illegally.

The administration has received praise from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for its efforts to curtail gender ideology and government mandates that jeopardize religious freedom. However, the bishops have also sued the administration over its decision to cut funding for nongovernmental organizations that provide services to migrants, which has affected numerous Catholic organizations.

Hannah Brockhaus contributed to this report.

The custos of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Patton, anoints the statue of Jesus on the Stone of Anointing during the ceremony known as the “funeral procession” on Good Friday night 2024. According to the tradition and the Status Quo, on the evening of Good Friday — both Catholic and Orthodox — the rite of preparing Jesus’ body for burial is reenacted on this stone during the so-called “funeral procession.” / Credit: Marinella Bandini

ACI MENA, Apr 19, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

This year’s Easter celebrations in the Holy Land are expected to unfold under a complex and emotional landscape marked by sorrow and hope as war continues in Gaza and security tensions escalate across the West Bank and Jerusalem. 

For Christians in Gaza, full participation in Easter rituals is impossible due to the blockade and closed crossings. Meanwhile, many West Bank Christians face significant hurdles in obtaining Israeli permits to enter Jerusalem amid increasingly tight security restrictions.

Despite these challenges, churches in Jerusalem and across Palestine insist on observing Holy Week traditions — even if on a smaller scale and under exceptional circumstances. For the Christian community here, Easter is not merely a religious tradition but an act of faith and resistance — a cry for life in the face of death and destruction.

In this spirit, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem has announced the schedule for this year’s Holy Week celebrations, presided over by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The celebrations began on April 13 with Palm Sunday and will culminate on April 20 with a solemn entry into the Holy Sepulcher followed by Easter Mass and the traditional procession inside the church.

A season without pilgrims

Despite the difficult circumstances, churches in the Holy Land remain committed to marking Holy Week — even in its most modest expressions.

For many local Christians, Easter is not just about rituals and festivities but a profound declaration of faith, belonging, and hope — a message that confronts daily sorrow and uncertainty.

The burden of emigration

What weighs even heavier on this year’s celebrations is the continued absence of pilgrims and tourists for a second consecutive year. 

This absence has dealt a painful blow not only spiritually but also economically to hundreds of Christian families who rely on religious tourism as their main source of livelihood. 

In cities like Bethlehem and Jerusalem, markets are nearly stagnant, olive wood carving workshops are struggling with unsold inventory, and hotels, restaurants, and shops are witnessing an unprecedented slowdown, leaving many without work and facing serious financial hardship.

This dire reality has led more Christian families to consider emigration in search of stability and survival, raising real concerns about the future of the Christian presence in the very land where the Gospel was first proclaimed.

Hope amid crisis

Still, the tone of hope has not been absent from Church leaders’ messages. 

Pizzaballa issued a heartfelt appeal to pilgrims not to hesitate in coming to the Holy Land. “Your presence is a presence of peace... and we need peace,” he said in his message.

Father Francesco Patton, custos of the Holy Land, echoed this call, describing visits to the sacred sites as “an act of faith and a tangible expression of support for local Christians,” who, despite everything, remain deeply rooted in their land.

This story was first published by ACI MENA, CNA's Arabic-language news partner, and has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Joseph Lovskiy (left), the only Catholic in his Russion Orthodox family, with his wife (right) and their youngest son, a Russian Orthodox priest, and his family. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Joseph Lovskiy

Rome Newsroom, Apr 19, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Two families of mixed Catholic and Orthodox Christian members are looking forward to celebrating Easter together on the same date in 2025 as they also hope to one day see greater unity among all Christians.

Joseph Lovskiy, who is the only Catholic in his Russian Orthodox family, summed it up with one word: “joy.” 

From the city of Yekaterinburg in Russia, Lovskiy’s wife, three children, and six grandchildren are all Russian Orthodox. His youngest son is a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church.  

“Since Easter falls on the same date this year, the only feeling one can have is joy,” he told CNA in a written interview translated from Russian. 

Like Lovskiy, Father Richard Sofatzis, a Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of Sydney, Australia, also grew up in a mixed Catholic and Orthodox environment, since his father is Greek Orthodox and his mother, who died in 2017, was Catholic.

“Unity between ... as John Paul II said, the two lungs of Christianity, East and West, has been something that’s been very dear to me. I’ve prayed for it many times,” Sofatzis told CNA by phone. “I guess I think it’s something we can work towards, aspire to, but it does seem at times very difficult to obtain."

This year marks the 1,700th anniversary of an important Church council, the Council of Nicaea, which was held from May to August 325. Among other important decisions, the council established a unified way to calculate the date of Easter each year. Pope Gregory XIII enacted further reforms in 1582, which gave the Catholic Church the Gregorian calendar it follows today. 

But because the Catholic and Orthodox had split in 1024, the Orthodox countries did not accept the changes to the calendar made by Pope Gregory. And so, the two churches often celebrate major feasts such as Christmas and Easter on different days — because they are calculated using different calendars. There are exceptions, however, when occasionally the calendars align, as will happen for Easter in 2025.

Sofatzis said the Council of Nicaea and other Church councils that followed are admirable for the way they overcame fierce and difficult debates to give a clear, unified expression of the faith and its teachings — an example for all Christians seeking unity. 

“It’s good that we’re celebrating the occasion,” he said. “The fact that Easter is the same this year is, I think, really important. I’m really hoping more than anything else, even if [Catholics and Orthodox] can’t achieve full unity, we could work towards that common date for Easter — something I’ve been looking forward to for many years.”

But the Catholic priest added that the full unity of the “two lungs” must be worked out by the hierarchies, and that is quite difficult due to political and cultural pressures. Meanwhile, however, his family and others live out ecumenism in their relationships every day.

Sharing Easter, sharing traditions

Lovskiy, who was raised by a Catholic mother and Russian Orthodox father, said he agreed with his wife before their marriage to raise their children in the Orthodox Church. Despite being the only Catholic in his family, he said he has never felt lonely: “We support one another.” 

After attending Easter Vigil Mass and liturgy in their respective churches, on Easter Sunday this year, the family will gather to enjoy a homemade meal of traditional Russian Orthodox dishes, including pies, dyed eggs, and “pashka,” a cheesy custard dessert with fruit, honey, and almonds, served with slices of a sweet Easter bread called “kulichi.” 

They will also feast on various meat dishes, including roasted and smoked meat and homemade Belarusian sausage.

Lovskiy said it is customary to have the food served at Easter blessed, but in the Orthodox Church, only eggs and “kulichi” are blessed — meat cannot be brought into the church — while in the Catholic Church, meat, sausage, salt, and bread are all brought for the Easter blessing.

Sofatzis’ family, including most of his seven siblings, three in-laws, and five nephews, will also have a big family lunch on Easter Sunday — but Greek Orthodox style.

The priest, who is an assistant at St. Patrick’s in Sutherland, a suburb of Sydney, will meet his extended Greek family at his aunt and uncle’s house after celebrating Easter Mass on Sunday morning.

“They’ll put on a big Easter spread with lamb; that’s the classic meat to eat … We all gather together, have a really large meal, and spend the afternoon catching up and talking and spending good quality time together,” he said. 

Another important food item for the Greek Orthodox is Easter cookies called “koulouria” (also known as “koulourakia”), which are butter-based pastries flavored with orange zest and vanilla and often topped with sesame seeds. 

Sofatzis said he taught himself how to make the braided or spiral-shaped cookies so he could keep the tradition alive. “You roll them out and spend a whole day in Holy Week making all the cookies, and then you give them to your friends and family,” he explained. 

When he was young, Sofatzis said there was one Greek tradition he looked forward to with particular joy every year: dying hardboiled eggs red, which are then used in an Easter Sunday egg tapping competition. 

“As a child, I would actually do the dying,” he said. “I would learn from my grandmother, and I would watch how she dyes the eggs, and how she patterned them with leaves and other things, puts the decorations on them.” 

“We say, ‘Jesus Christ is risen.’ And then you tap the heads of the eggs together, the tops of them, and you see who cracks the other. And then you go round until there’s the champion who has the strongest egg,” Sofatzis described, adding that he will compete against his cousins again this year. 

‘Double celebrations’

While for feast days Lovskiy attends Mass at his church, and his wife attends Divine Liturgy at hers, the rest of the celebrations are always shared, he noted. 

“In our families, both my parents’ and my own, there have never been any distinctions — whether a holiday is Catholic or Orthodox, we celebrate all holidays without any restrictions,” he said. 

Sofatzis’ family would also have “double traditions and double celebrations,” he said, noting that as children, he and his siblings “always enjoyed celebrating Easter twice” — doing all the usual things, like chocolate eggs, for Catholic Easter, and a few weeks later, the Greek traditions for Greek Easter. 

The priest’s Catholic mother, who was born in England, and Greek Orthodox father, who was born on the Greek island of Limnos, agreed before their marriage to baptize and raise their children in the Catholic faith but to send them to a Greek Orthodox primary and secondary school. 

“So it was a very mixed environment. … We grew up with an immersion, you could say, into the Orthodox tradition. We would go to the Divine Liturgy every month with school, sometimes on Thursdays, or sometimes on the weekend, the big feast days,” he said, adding that they took Greek dance lessons and participated in a lot of Greek cultural traditions.

But as a high schooler, doing his own study into papal authority, different understandings of certain scriptural passages, and the historical disputes, Sofatzis knew he wanted to remain Catholic. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 2023. He also has an older brother who is a priest.

While being part of different churches could have been a source of contention, Sofatzis said for his parents, and for him and his dad, there’s always been mutual understanding and support.

Sofatzis said his Greek father has “always been very supportive of me in my vocation. I’ve always known that whatever I wanted to do in life, dad would always support me.”

Thousands of faithful bearing candles surround the illuminated Colosseum in Rome during the traditional Via Crucis ceremony on Good Friday, April 18, 2025, where Cardinal Reina presided over the solemn procession. / Credit: Zofia Czubak / EWTN News

CNA Newsroom, Apr 18, 2025 / 18:05 pm (CNA).

Against the ancient backdrop of Rome’s Colosseum, thousands gathered Friday evening for the solemn Via Crucis procession, where Cardinal Baldassare Reina carried the cross on behalf of Pope Francis, who remains in recovery from pneumonia but whose spiritual presence was palpably felt through his powerful meditations.

The 88-year-old pontiff, unable to attend the Good Friday ceremony in person for the third consecutive year due to ongoing recovery from bilateral pneumonia, prepared deeply reflective texts that accompanied the 14 stations. Though absent physically, his words provided a particular presence as participants proceeded through the traditional commemoration of Christ’s passion.

In his meditations, Pope Francis contrasted “God’s economy, which does not kill, discard, or crush” with today’s world built on “calculation and algorithms, cold logic and implacable interests.” This divine economy, he noted, “is lowly, faithful to the earth” and follows “the way of the Beatitudes” that “does not crush but cultivates, repairs, and protects.”

The liturgical ceremony began at 9:15 p.m. local time with Reina, the pope’s vicar general for the Diocese of Rome, carrying the cross for the first station. Various groups representing different aspects of the Church and society took turns bearing the wooden cross through subsequent stations, including youth, Caritas volunteers, families, people with disabilities, migrants, health care workers, religious, educators, and jubilee volunteers.

Pope Francis described the Way of the Cross as “the prayer of people on the move” that “disrupts our usual routine” to lead from “weariness to joy.” His meditations stressed how Christ’s path through suffering represents “a change of course and a change of pace — a conversion that restores joy and brings us home.”

“The road to Calvary passes through the streets we tread each day,” the pope wrote in his introduction.

“Usually, Lord, we are walking in the other direction, and so it may just happen that we encounter you, catch sight of your face, meet your gaze.”

Several meditations focused on human fragility and God’s response to it. At the seventh station, where Jesus falls for the second time, the pope reflected: “Fall and get up again; fall and get up again. That is how you taught us, Jesus, to approach the adventure of human life.” He added that humans “are not mass-produced but handcrafted: We are unique treasures, a blend of grace and responsibility.”

When addressing Jesus being stripped of his garments in the 10th station, Francis noted: “You are the Bridegroom who lets himself be taken and touched, who turns everything to good... You know each of us singly, so as to save us together: all of us, each and every one.”

The ceremony concluded with St. Francis’ prayer: “Most high and glorious God, cast your light into the darkness of my heart. Grant me right faith, firm hope, perfect charity, and profound humility.”

Sts. Peter and Paul, the patron saints of Rome, guard the entrance to Ponte Sant’Angelo, welcoming pilgrims as they begin their journey toward St. Peter’s Basilica. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Rome Newsroom, Apr 18, 2025 / 15:10 pm (CNA).

Each year, thousands of faithful pilgrims purposefully pass over the Tiber River via Rome’s Ponte Sant’Angelo, where marble messengers lining the bridge recall Christ’s passion through the sacred symbols they solemnly hold.

In 1535, Pope Clement VII ordered the placement of statues of Sts. Peter and Paul, the patrons of Rome, at the bridge’s entrance. However, it wasn’t until 1669 that Pope Clement IX commissioned a new balustrade designed by the renowned Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

Ten angels, each bearing an element of the Passion, were placed atop this structure, sculpted by Bernini’s students under his meticulous direction.

Today, on Good Friday, the Catholic Church commemorates the crucifixion of the Lord. The bridge has undergone extensive restoration in recent months, and this jubilee Holy Week unveils its newly refreshed marble.

The iconic bridge, connecting the “Ponte” district with the Borgo and the castle that once served as a papal residence, a fortress in times of war, and a prison for criminals was reopened to pedestrians in January to mark the beginning of the Jubilee of Hope and the inauguration of the new Piazza Pia, which now links Via della Conciliazione directly to Vatican City.

The angels of Ponte Sant’Angelo were designed to serve as a spiritual guide for pilgrims on their journey toward St. Peter’s Basilica.

Looking up while walking along the bridge, visitors first encounter an angel holding a column in its arms, a reminder of Christ’s scourging. At its base, the inscription reads: “Tronus meus in columna” (“My throne is upon a column”), a work attributed to Antonio Raggi.

Directly opposite stands an angel carrying whips with the inscription: “In flagella paratus sum” (“I am ready for the scourging”), sculpted by Lazzaro Morelli.

Further along, an angel holds the Veil of Veronica, the cloth used to wipe Christ’s sweat and blood, on which his face was imprinted. The base of this sculpture, created by Cosimo Fancelli, bears the inscription: “Respice faciem Christi tui” (“Look upon the face of your Christ”).

Notably, its pedestal bears a dent from a cannonball impact during the defense of the Vatican in 1870.

On the opposite side, an angel holds the crown of thorns placed on Christ’s head, sculpted by Paolo Naldini and completed by Bernini himself. The original sculpture is now housed in the Roman church of Sant’Andrea delle Fratte. The inscription reads: “In aerumna mea dum configitur spina” (“In my affliction, while the thorn is driven in”).

Next, an angel presents Christ’s tunic along with the dice used by the soldiers to cast lots for his garments. The inscription on this sculpture reads: “Super vestimentum meum miserunt sortem” (“They cast lots for my tunic”), a work by Paolo Naldini.

Another angel carries a cross, a piece sculpted by Ercole Ferrata, inscribed with “Cuius principatus super humerum eius” (“And the dominion is upon his shoulder”), referring to Christ as the prophesied messiah and king.

Following this, a second Bernini-designed angel holds a plaque with the inscription “INRI.” The sign above the cross explains the reason for his execution: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.”

The inscription at the sculpture’s base reads: “Regnavit a ligno Deus” (“God has reigned from the tree”), referring to Christ’s cross. The original piece was also moved to Sant’Andrea delle Fratte.

Another angel holds a set of nails, symbolizing those used to pierce Christ’s hands and feet. The accompanying inscription, “Aspicient ad me quem confixerunt” (“They will look upon the one they have pierced”), frames this sculpture by Girolamo Lucenti.

Opposite stands an angel carrying a sponge, recalling the one used by the soldiers to give vinegar to Jesus. Its inscription reads “Potaverunt me aceto” (“They gave me vinegar to drink”), a piece by Antonio Giorgetti.

Finally, there is the angel sculpted by Domenico Guidi, holding a lance — the weapon used by St. Longinus to pierce Christ’s side, from which blood and water flowed. At its base, the inscription reads: “Vulnerasti cor meum” (“You have wounded my heart”).

Father Roberto Pasolini, OFM Cap, gives the homily during a two-hour Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion in St. Peter’s Basilica on Good Friday, April 18, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, Apr 18, 2025 / 13:29 pm (CNA).

Rather than an “artificial” intelligence, Christ’s death teaches us the authentic “intelligence of the cross,” which is the freedom to choose self-giving love in relationship with God and others, the papal preacher said at the Vatican on Good Friday.

Preaching during a two-hour Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion in St. Peter’s Basilica, Father Roberto Pasolini, OFM Cap, underlined how, “in a time like ours, so rich in new intelligences — artificial, computational, predictive — the mystery of Christ’s passion and death proposes to us another kind of intelligence: the intelligence of the cross, which does not calculate, but loves; which does not optimize, but gives itself.”

The intelligence of the cross, he continued, is not artificial “but deeply relational, because it is entirely open to God and to others. In a world where it seems to be algorithms that suggest to us what to desire, what to think, and even who to be, the cross restores to us the freedom of authentic choice, based not on efficiency but on self-giving love.”

According to custom, the preacher of the papal household writes and delivers the homily at the Vatican’s Good Friday liturgy. This year, Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Dicastery for Eastern Churches, celebrated the liturgy in Pope Francis’ place as the 88-year-old pontiff continues his slow recovery from double pneumonia and other respiratory infections.

Pasolini, in his homily, emphasized the importance of self-gift over self-reliance and on surrender of one’s life and suffering to God.

“The expression ‘full surrender,’ with which the Letter to the Hebrews describes Christ’s conduct, could also be translated as the ability to accept with confidence what happens, to take well even what initially appears hostile or incomprehensible,” he said. “In his passion, in fact, Christ did not simply suffer events but welcomed them with such freedom that he transformed them into a path of salvation. A path that remains open to anyone who is willing to trust the Father to the fullest, allowing himself to be guided by his will even in the darkest passages.”

“Jesus reveals to us that it is not strength that saves the world but the weakness of a love that holds nothing back,” the preacher added. “The time in which we live, marked by the myth of performance and seduced by the idol of individualism, struggles to recognize moments of defeat or passivity as possible places of fulfillment.”

In fact, when suffering hits us, he continued, we tend to feel inadequate and out of place. We try to endure, gritting our teeth, but “the last words of the crucified Jesus offer us another interpretation: They show us how much life can flow from those moments when, with nothing left to do, there actually remains the most beautiful thing to accomplish: to finally give of ourselves.”

The Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion on April 18 opened in silence, as Gugerotti processed to the altar to lie prostrate before the crucifix for one minute. The service proceeded with readings from Scripture, including the sung proclamation of the Passion account from the Gospel of St. John.

During veneration of the holy cross, first, a crucifix was carried down the main aisle of the Vatican basilica while the choir chanted three times in Latin, “Ecce lignum Crucis, in quo sales Mundi pependit,” which means, “This is the wood of the cross, on which hung the Savior of the world.” Together, the choir and congregation responded in Latin: “Come, let us worship.”

Afterward, some people in attendance at the liturgy approached the cross to make a sign of veneration, which was followed by the reproaches and a hymn.

The third, and final, part of the two-hour service was the reception of holy Communion.

In his homily, delivered after the Gospel, Pasolini also drew attention to three phrases Christ uttered during his Passion — “I am,” “I thirst,” and “it is finished” — and what they can teach us about abandonment to God.

Pointing out the freedom with which Jesus offered himself at the moment of his arrest, identifying himself to the soldiers, the preacher said this confident surrender to God can be an example for us “at times when our lives suffer some setbacks — a painful setback, a serious illness, a crisis in relationships.”

“How is it possible to do this? By taking a step forward. By presenting ourselves first to the encounter with reality,” he said. “This attitude hardly ever changes the course of events — in fact, Jesus is arrested soon after — but if lived with faith in God and trust in the history he leads, it enables us to remain inwardly free and steadfast. Only then does the burden of life become lighter, and suffering, while remaining real, stops being useless and begins to generate life.”

When Jesus cried out from the cross, “I thirst,” he demonstrated his human need, Pasolini said, noting that “when pain, weariness, loneliness, or fear lay us bare, we are tempted to close ourselves off, to stiffen up, to feign self-sufficiency. … Asking for what we need, and allowing others to offer it to us, is perhaps one of the highest and most humble forms of love.”

Full trust and abandonment to God, as Christ exemplified in his final words, “it is finished,” are also part of the theme of the jubilee year, Pasolini said.

Pope Francis wanted to remind us, he recalled, “that Christ is the anchor of our hope, to whom we can remain firmly united, tightening the rope of faith that binds us to him beginning from our baptism.”

But this is not easy, the preacher emphasized, especially when we experience evil, suffering, or loneliness. Which is why it is important “to accept the invitation of the Letter to the Hebrews: to approach the cross with full confidence, recognizing in it the ‘throne of grace in order to receive mercy and find grace, so as to be helped at the appropriate time.’”

U.S. Vice President JD Vance (right) and his family attend the Vatican’s Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion in St. Peter’s Basilica on Good Friday, April 18, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, Apr 18, 2025 / 12:05 pm (CNA).

U.S. Vice President JD Vance and his family attended the Vatican’s Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion in St. Peter’s Basilica on Good Friday during the first day of an April 18–20 visit to Rome.

On his trip, Vance — who is a convert to Catholicism — will also be visiting cultural and religious sites and meet with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state. He met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday after landing in Rome.

“Vice President Vance looks forward to meeting with Prime Minister Meloni and Church officials while in Italy and is grateful for the opportunity to visit some of Rome’s amazing cultural and religious sites with his family during Holy Week,” the vice president’s press secretary, Taylor Van Kirk, told CNA earlier on Friday.

There is no formal meeting scheduled between the vice president and Pope Francis, who, despite still recovering from double pneumonia, has resumed some informal public appearances — including a short visit to Rome’s Regina Coeli prison on Holy Thursday.

The 88-year-old pontiff, who left the hospital on March 23 after 38 days, also had a brief private encounter with King Charles III and Queen Camilla during their state visit to Italy on April 9.

Vance posted on X shortly before the liturgy on Friday that he “had a great meeting” with Meloni and was “headed to church soon with my family in this beautiful city.”

“I’m grateful every day for this job, but particularly today where my official duties have brought me to Rome on Good Friday,” he wrote. “I wish all Christians all over the world, but particularly those back home in the U.S., a blessed Good Friday.”

The Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion in St. Peter’s Basilica on April 18 was celebrated by Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Dicastery for Eastern Churches, who was delegated to lead the service in the pope’s place. Following Vatican custom, the preacher of the papal household, Father Roberto Pasolini, OFM Cap, delivered the homily.

The vice president’s trip comes as the Vatican and President Donald Trump’s administration have traded back-and-forths over plans to deport large numbers of immigrants who entered the country illegally.

The administration has received praise from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for its efforts to curtail gender ideology and government mandates that jeopardize religious freedom. However, the bishops have also sued the administration over its decision to cut funding for nongovernmental organizations that provide services to migrants, which has affected numerous Catholic organizations.

Vance’s meeting with Meloni comes as the Trump administration continues to negotiate trade policies and tariffs with countries around the world, including countries in the European Union. Meloni also met Trump at the White House on April 17.