God’s love is stronger than any evil, capable of “driving out hatred” and “bringing down the mighty,” Pope Leo XIV said.

Inside the ancient arena of the Roman Empire that crucified Christ, Pope Leo XIV carried the cross through the darkness of night on Good Friday at Rome’s Colosseum, leading about 30,000 in prayer for the sufferings of the modern world.

Life must be lived as a journey seeking to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, Pope Leo XIV said after completing the Stations of the Cross at Rome’s Colosseum.

Pope Leo XIV spoke over the telephone with the presidents of Israel and Ukraine on Good Friday, urging diplomatic solutions and humanitarian support amid the ongoing wars in the Middle East and Europe.

Pope Leo XIV washed and kissed the feet of 12 priests on Holy Thursday in his first Easter Triduum liturgy as pope, saying that Jesus taught us how to love like he loves during the Last Supper.

Pope Leo XIV urged Catholics to reject comfort, power and domination and instead embrace a mission rooted in self-giving love, even when it requires risk, vulnerability and suffering.

Laypeople are not passive members but active participants in the Church’s mission, called to live and spread the Gospel in everyday life, Pope Leo XIV said.

Pope Leo XIV has called on Catholics to pray for priests who find themselves in crisis and to “support those who so often support us.”

Modern cultural influences, including technology and shifting views on identity, risk weakening human relationships and spiritual development, said Cardinal Arthur Roche, the prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

Pope Leo XIV will carry the cross himself through all 14 stations of the Way of the Cross at Rome’s Colosseum on the first Good Friday of his pontificate.