ASIA/HOLY LAND - Way of the Cross of the Catholic schools in Jerusalem, praying for peace and for the Pope's health

by Dietrich Bäumer*

Jerusalem (Agenzia Fides) - "God, our Father in Heaven, to you we raise our prayers for all the sick, especially for Pope Francis," read the placards carried by the boys and girls of the Catholic schools in Jerusalem during the Way of the Cross on Friday, March 14, 2025, through the streets of the Holy City. Under the motto "Pilgrims of Hope," chosen by Pope Francis for this year's Jubilee Year, about 700 boys and girls in the Old City of Jerusalem retraced the paths Jesus took on his way to the Golgotha Calvary and also prayed for the health of the Bishop of Rome.

The Way of the Cross of the Catholic schools in Jerusalem takes place every year during Lent and was led by Father Francis Patton, Custodian of the Holy Land, and Father Ibrahim Faltas, Vicar of the Custody and Director of the Franciscan School in the Holy Land.
At the beginning of the Way of the Cross (which this year also began in the Franciscan Chapel of the Flagellation on the Via Dolorosa), Father Ibrahim reminded everyone that special prayers would be said for the recovery of Pope Francis and Father Ayman Bathish, who had been seriously injured in an accident two days earlier.

Many students had prepared posters for the Way of the Cross bearing the word "Hope" in various languages, as well as prayers for the healing of all the sick, especially for Pope Francis. Teachers and parents of students from the 13 Christian schools in East Jerusalem also participated in the procession through the Old City of Jerusalem.

Stations 8-14 traditionally concluded in the Franciscan Church of the Redeemer near the New Gate. This year, too, the final blessing with a relic of the cross, given by Custodian Father Francesco Patton to the packed church, marked the end of the procession. All participants wore white stoles bearing the Arabic inscription "Al Rajaa'" (Hope). The prayers were inspired by the Holy Year and the prayer intentions of Pope Francis.

In his closing remarks in the Church of the Redeemer, Father Ibrahim thanked everyone for the broad participation in the Stations of the Cross. "We are in difficult times, but it is a time of prayer and forgiveness, without which there would be no new beginning," said the Vicar of the Custody of the Holy Land.

As every year, the shared Stations of the Cross were an expression of deep solidarity with Christians around the world and a sign of hope for the students of the Christian schools in Jerusalem.

The Schmidt Catholic School in Jerusalem will express its special closeness with Rome and the Holy See with a Jubilee pilgrimage, which will take students, teachers, and staff to the Eternal City from November 23 to 30, 2025. The students look forward to the planned meetings in Rome and with Pope Francis and pray for his recovery. (Agenzia Fides, 15/3/2025)

*Principal of the Schmidt German Catholic School in Jerusalem

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