God’s power is the power of his humble, defenseless love, the papal preacher told Pope Francis and thousands of people gathered for the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion.

The pope celebrated the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper March 28 at the women’s prison under a tent set up outside.

Mary Ann Glendon — who served under St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis — recounts her Vatican experiences in her new book, “In the Court of Three Popes,” providing particular insight into how laypeople can more fully embrace their vocation and life in the Catholic Church.

As a statue of Jesus bearing his cross is carried through the streets of Sonsonate, El Salvador, on Good Friday, Pope Francis asked Catholics to respond to Jesus’ love with contemplation and a renewal of their love for God and for their needy neighbors.

Presiding over the chrism Mass March 28 in St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis ended his lengthy homily by thanking the priests present and, by extension, those around the world.

Of the thousands of people packed into the Paul VI Audience Hall for Pope Francis’ weekly general audience, two visitors received special praise from the pope for their unlikely friendship.

Contemplating Christ’s passion should inspire Christians to be more patient in the face of their own suffering and trials, Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis told Catholics in the Holy Land that he knows Holy Week this year is “so overshadowed by the Passion and, as yet, so little by the Resurrection.”

For the first time in his 11-year papacy, Pope Francis has chosen to write his own meditations for the Good Friday Way of the Cross service at Rome’s Colosseum, the head of the Vatican press office said.

The fight against illegal drugs and narcotrafficking must target not just drug supplies, but also the demand for drugs through prevention programs and assistance, Pope Francis said.