Pope Francis, presiding at a Good Friday service, asked God for forgiveness for scandals in the Catholic Church and for the "shame" of humanity becoming inured to daily scenes of bombed cities and drowning migrants. Francis presided at a traditional candlelight Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) service at Rome's Colosseum attended by some 20,000 people and protected by heavy security following recent attacks in European cities. At the end of the two-hour service, Francis read a prayer he wrote that was woven around the theme of shame and hope. He spoke of "shame for all the scenes of devastation, destruction and drownings that have become ordinary in our lives." More than 650 have died or are unaccounted for while trying to cross the sea in rubber dinghies this year.

Source: The Star April 14, 2017 22:18 UTC