Christians mark Good Friday by Way of the Cross procession

Thousands of Catholics yesterday marked Good Friday by taking part in Way of the Cross procession to signify the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.At Around 3pm at Kicukiro Parish, hundreds of Christians took to the road in the procession from Byimana cell in Niboyi sector about three kilometers from there to the parish.Led by Eric Nzabamwita, the parish head, Christians of various ages took part in the procession, marked by prayers and songs all thanking God and asking for forgiveness of sins committed.Viateur Kayigirwa, 42, who was part of the procession, said the walk aimed at remembering the great love of Jesus Christ.“This march reminds us of the unbelievable love Jesus Christ had for us,” said Kayigirwa “As a Christian, it is my time to remember the hard journey Jesus undertook before his crucifixion. We remember he did this out of love,” said Espérance Murekatete, another Christian Good Friday is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of Passover.During the march, Fr Nzabamwita preached the Passion of Christ and urged Christians to keep in mind that passion and follow the best way while avoiding any temptation leading them to sins.Good Friday is the second of four intensive days in the Christian calendar culminating in Easter Sunday, which commemorates Christ’s resurrection.Pope washes prisoners’ feetMeanwhile Pope Francis presided over his first Good Friday after washing the feet of 12 young prisoners on Thursday, updating an ancient Easter ritual as part of his efforts to bring the Catholic Church closer to the needy.Today, the pontiff will take part in an evening Easter vigil in St Peter’s Basilica. The Vatican has not yet said whether he will follow the tradition of baptising eight adult converts to the Catholic Church during the service.Tomorrow, the first non-European pope in nearly 1,300 years will celebrate Easter mass in front of tens of thousands of pilgrims in St Peter’s Square and then pronounce the traditional “Urbi et Orbi” blessing to Rome and the world.Easter (also called the Pasch or Pascha) is a Christian festival and holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his crucifixion.

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Christians mark Good Friday by Way of the Cross procession