Rome law enforcement officers are on high alert ahead of Good Friday’s highly-anticipated Way of the Cross led by Pope Leo XIV and other Easter-related events.
Pope Leo will preside this year’s Via Crucis, or Way of the Cross procession on Friday night at the Colosseum in the Italian capital, and will carry the cross for the entirety of the procession. This year’s Holy Week is the pontiff’s first as head of the Catholic Church after he was elected last year and the first time in years that a pope leads the Via Crucis, as Pope Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis was unable to do so in his final years due to his frail health.
The procession will begin at around 09:15 p.m. (local time), after which the Pope will address the faithful and impart the Apostolic Blessing.
The Pope explained this week that he wishes to lead the Way of the Cross procession to send “an important message about what the Pope represents — a spiritual leader in today’s world, a voice that everyone wants to hear proclaiming that Christ still suffers.”
Corriere della Sera reports that hundreds of thousands of tourists have flocked to Rome to attend this week’s Holy Week events, with many more expected to arrive from Friday onwards.
By Thursday, local law enforcement officials had reportedly finalized the technical plans to manage security for Easter’s religious events, starting from Holy Thursday onwards — and to ensure safety to the more than 4,000 sensitive sites located across Roma. The list includes numerous places of worship starting with Saint Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, train stations, airports, subway stops, museums, monuments, shopping centers, and cultural offices, among several more.
The list, per Corriere, also includes American, Jewish, and Arab sites, “specially” those from countries from countries bordering the Persian Gulf at the center of the ongoing war in Iran.
Per Rai News, about a thousand officers will be on duty throughout the day, supported by volunteers and Civil Protection personnel, to ensure that the celebrations proceed smoothly. Access and traffic restrictions have been implemented across the jam-packed capital city ahead of the upcoming events.
In addition to closing off roads, the security measures, Corriere explained, call for towing infringing cars and bans on bicycles and electric scooters.
“We are operating under our usual maximum security protocols regarding the organization of religious events, primarily the Way of the Cross, especially since this year the Pope will be reviving old traditions,” Rome Police Chief Roberto Massucci reportedly said.
On Easter Sunday, Pope Leo XIV will once again celebrate Mass in St. Peter’s Square, followed by the traditional “Urbi et Orbi” blessing. Beginning on April 6, Easter Monday, the post-Easter season will commence with the recitation of the Regina Coeli at noon every Sunday until Pentecost.
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