Pope Celebrates Good Friday

Braving the chill of a rainy night, Pope John Paul II led prayers at the traditional Good Friday procession at the Colosseum, holding in his trembling hands a cross passed to him by a young woman from Madrid in a sign of solidarity with those pained by that city's losses in the March 11 bombings.

The bad weather and the long day were the latest test of the 83-year-old pontiff's frail health and stamina during a heavy schedule of Holy Week ceremonies amid security concerns in the Italian capital.

At the nearly the end of the procession, which symbolically traces Jesus' path to his crucifixion, the Spanish woman gave him the slender, lightweight cross to hold as he sat in a chair under a white canopy.

"I felt as if I were carrying the suffering of my country, and it gave me great peace," said Raquel Rivera, referring to the pain and loss of the train bombings in Madrid. She is a violinist currently in Rome.

Only a few hours earlier, Pope John Paul II heard confessions from 11 Catholics on Good Friday in St. Peter's Basilica, keeping up a tradition in a Holy Week marked by security concerns in tourist-filled Rome.

The pilgrims of various nationalities were chosen at random, reports CBS News' Sabina Castelfranco.

No longer able to walk, the frail 83-year-old pontiff was wheeled on his portable throne into a mahogany confessional booth near the main altar. He spent about an hour there, hearing the confessions of five men and six women of various nationalities.
By the time the Colosseum was almost over, at nearly 11 p.m., his voice was hoarse as he struggled to read his homily and bestow his blessing on the faithful.

"The hour of this heart-rending suffering of the son of God, a suffering that, 20 centuries later, continues to intimately move us and call out to us," John Paul said.

The pope used to make the procession carrying a lightweight wooden cross, but three years ago, because of difficulty in walking, he stopped carrying the cross.

He listened to a series of meditations which were composed by a French Cistercian monk.

Many people had stood under umbrellas in pouring rain for hours to secure a good view. The rain stopped shortly before the pope arrived, but the early spring night air was bone-chilling. A crucifix, lined with the blazing lights of candles, loomed over the scene. Participants held candles to read their prayer books.

"Brothers and sisters, yet again we are reunited in following the Lord Jesus on the path that led him to Calvary," the pope said in the opening prayer.

At stops along the procession, faithful from countries ranging from Burundi to Jordan handed over the cross to the next person.

John Paul's public day had begun at noon in the basilica, when he heard confessions from 11 Catholics. The pontiff, who suffers from Parkinson's disease and knee ailments, was wheeled into the basilica by aides and into a mahogany confessional booth near the main altar. He spent about an hour there, hearing the confessions of five men and six women from various countries.

The pope will preside over an Easter vigil Mass on Saturday night, celebrate Easter Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square and deliver his Easter message and blessing.

Pilgrims and tourists passed through metal detectors to enter the basilica, one of a number of security measures taken in Rome.

Italian officials said security has been increased at the Vatican, monuments, churches and train stations for the holidays, calling the steps "routine" and stressing there have been no specific threats. Via della Conciliazione, the broad avenue leading to St. Peter's Square, is closed to overnight traffic during the Easter period — a measure also enforced over Christmas.