Tears on the Via Dolorosa; Pope Hears Confessions : Christian Pilgrims Mark Good Friday

Hundreds of Christian pilgrims wept, prayed and sang hymns along the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem’s Old City in a Good Friday procession that retraced the path that tradition holds Jesus took to his Crucifixion.

About a dozen devotees carried heavy wooden crosses to symbolize Christ’s walk of agony, and many knelt for communal prayers at the 14 stations that mark the route.

A costumed group from Southern California, complete with a thorn-crowned Christ figure, performed along the way. A minor scuffle broke out when Roman Catholic and Protestant groups crossed paths, each demanding right of way.

Lower Turnout

The turnout was considerably lower than in past years, reflecting fears over the 15-month Palestinian revolt that has torn the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip and spilled into Arab East Jerusalem. No major violence was reported.

At the Vatican on Good Friday, Pope John Paul II heard confessions from seven worshipers at St. Peter’s Basilica.

Wearing a dark mantle over his white cassock, the Pope spent 70 minutes hearing the confessions of a 29-year-old West German religion teacher, two Roman bus drivers, two Italian army cadets and a mother and son from the northern Italian city of Verona.

Carrying the Cross

In the evening the pontiff carried a 6-foot wooden cross through Rome’s ancient Colosseum symbolizing Christ’s walk to his Crucifixion on Calvary Hill.

The Polish-born Pope started hearing confessions on Good Friday shortly after his election in 1978.

Holy Week observances culminate on Easter Sunday when the Pope celebrates mass in St. Peter’s Square and delivers his twice-yearly “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) address from the central balcony of the basilica.

7 Nailed to Crosses

In the Philippines, at least seven people were nailed to crosses and thousands of Filipinos drew blood by beating themselves on the back to symbolize the suffering of Christ. About 5,000 people attended the ritual in San Pedro Citud, 40 miles north of Manila.

In Bulacan province, Luciana Reyes, 30, had her palms and feet nailed to a wooden cross for the 13th straight year. Another woman was also to have been crucified, but she screamed in pain when the nails pierced her palms and the crucifixion was stopped.

This year, for the first time, the government’s Department of Tourism financed the spectacle in San Pedro Citud.

Stalls selling food, soft drinks, beer, straw hats, fans and other souvenirs lined the area.

In Jerusalem, scores of city police and paramilitary border forces armed with automatic rifles, tear-gas grenades and riot batons were moved into the Old City to ensure security for worshipers.

Street of Sorrow

The procession swept through the Via Dolorosa, or Sorrowful Road, to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where tradition holds Christ was buried after dying at the hands of the Roman rulers of the Holy Land.

The main procession was led by 20 Roman Catholic Franciscan monks. About 600 worshipers followed, a fraction of the crowd that traditionally participates.

The group that provided the street theater was made up of residents of Southern California. Ralph Beltran of Los Angeles portrayed Christ, his head crowned with thorns. His companions, dressed as Roman guards, pretended to flog him as he dragged a wooden cross through the streets.

Joanne Petranela of Brea costumed as Mary Magdalene, ran among astonished onlookers shouting, “It’s all my fault!”

A German pilgrim from Munich, who identified himself only as Helmut, termed the show “a disgrace to Christianity.”

A scuffle broke out when the procession crossed the path of a Protestant group moving in another direction. Police stepped in to stop fistfights, then quickly set up a barricade.