Ukraine war weighs on pope’s Good Friday Colosseum ritual

By FRANCES D’EMILIO
Associated Press

ROME (AP) — The war in Ukraine is looming over the traditional Good Friday Colosseum procession in Rome, after the Vatican’s choice of a Russian woman to be among the cross-bearers angered Ukrainians. For the first time since the pandemic, the solemn torchlit procession at the ancient arena in Rome resumed on Friday night. Tens of thousands of pilgrims and tourists flocked to the Colosseum to catch a glimpse of Pope Francis. Earlier in the week, Ukraine’s ambassador to the Holy See and the archbishop of Kyiv denounced the Vatican’s plan to have a Ukrainian woman and a Russian woman carry the cross together during procession.