At every station of the Via Dolorosa there are many feelings and emotions that come up. The faithful not only remember, but also try to unite their lives to the journey of Christ to the Cross. On every Friday of the year, at three in the afternoon, the Franciscans of the Custody of the Holy Land symbolically walk along the Via Dolorosa praying in different languages ​​and following the same path that, according to tradition, Jesus followed up to Calvary, which is now located inside the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher. This devotion developed in the 13th century, when the Franciscans began to lead pilgrims from the West. Fr. NOEL MUSCAT, ofm Monastery of the Agony-Gethsemane “The Church has always accepted it as an authentic devotion, as a way of entering Christ’s Passion. It is naturally a devotion based on Holy Scriptures, as indicated by the Gospel. However, it is also very interesting because there are other moments of Christ’s Passion that are not found in the Gospel.” The episodes not described in the Gospels refer to the traditions that arose in Jerusalem: Jesus’ encounter with Veronica and his three falls. The 14 stations that mark the Via Dolorosa today took shape over the centuries, thanks to the Franciscans’ presence in the Holy City. Today, the starting point of the Via Crucis, located at Pilate’s Praetorium, in the Antonia Fortress, is a Muslim school. It is near the Monastery of the Flagellation. The first station of Jesus’ condemnation is about 600 meters from the Holy Sepulcher. Fr. NOEL MUSCAT, ofm Monastery of the Agony-Gethsemane “The Via Dolorosa is important for us Christians and is considered a devotion, like the Rosary. The Church has always given importance to what are referred to as the paraliturgical celebrations, that is celebrations that are not part of the liturgy and the official celebrations of the Church, but that are based on God’s Word and on liturgical forms.” The path winds through the Old City, where Jesus likely walked by, passing through the crowd that was curiously watching him, while others were clamoring for his death. From Jerusalem to the whole world: this devotion has been spread far and wide from Italy, thanks to the preaching of St. Leonard of Port Maurice, a 13th-century Franciscan who promoted his popular missions in several Italian cities. Today, the Via Dolorosa is an intense experience, especially during Lent. However, experiencing it in the Holy Land by walking in Jesus’ footsteps is truly unique. Fr. JOSEPH PLEMOTTIL India “It is a wonderful experience to participate in the Via Crucis, following the same stations that Jesus traveled on while carrying the cross up to Calvary, and to be doing it with people from all over the world. It really is an extraordinary experience for me.” Read More