On Good Friday, only 10 Franciscan friars traverse Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem
April 03, 2026
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CWN Editor's Note: Amid wartime restrictions reminiscent of the COVID lockdowns, only ten Franciscan friars were able to gather to pray the Stations of the Cross along the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem on Good Friday.
Father Ibrahim Faltas, O.F.M., head of schools of the Custody (Franciscan province) of the Holy Land, wrote that “since February 28, it has not been possible to fully live the poignant liturgical season of Lent due to the war that has spread throughout the Middle East, affecting even Jerusalem ... On the journey that will lead us to Holy Easter 2026, we have encountered violence, death, and sorrow for the suffering of so many brothers and sisters who have been denied so many rights, who have been denied love.”
“Jerusalem experienced Good Friday in a climate marked by war and the resulting restrictions,” Father Alberto Pari, O.F.M., of the Custody said in a statement. “The Holy City, which in these days should have welcomed thousands of faithful from all over the world, appeared silent and guarded. Yet, precisely within this fragility, the prayer of the Church continued to rise with strength, preserving the memory of the Passion of the Lord in the very place where it was accomplished.”
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