Pope, Christian pilgrims mark Good Friday

Tens of thousands of faithful, clutching prayer books and candles in paper lanterns, turned out for the traditional Holy Week appointment at the ancient Roman arena.

"Dear brothers and sisters, we have come to sing together a hymn of hope," Benedict said in an opening prayer. "We want to tell ourselves that all is not lost in moments of difficulty."

Benedict, who turns 82 next week, folded his hands in prayer and bowed his head in reflection as prelates and rank-and-file Catholics took turns carrying a slender, lightweight wooden cross in the procession.

The ritual commemorates Jesus' suffering in the hours before his crucifixion.

Holy Week ceremonies culminate in Easter Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square. On Saturday night, the pope will celebrate an Easter vigil Mass in St. Peter's Basilica.

In Jerusalem, thousands of Christian clergymen, worshipers, and pilgrims thronged the alleyways of the Old City, chanting hymns and bearing crosses as they marked Good Friday by retracing Jesus' final footsteps.

Hundreds attended prayers yesterday morning at Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where Christian tradition says Jesus was crucified and resurrected.

Brown-robed Roman Catholic friars filed into the ancient church after its wooden doors were unlocked. They were followed by pilgrims, some of whom fell to their knees to kiss a smooth stone believed to mark the spot where Jesus' body was placed after he was crucified.

Steps away, inside the church, were the stairs leading to Golgotha, marking the site of the crucifixion. Nearby was the structure marking the site of the cave where Jesus is said to have been entombed.

Afterward, Christians filled the stone alleyways of the Old City in Good Friday processions following Jesus' route to his crucifixion. The processions retrace Christ's final journey down the Via Dolorosa, the Way of Sorrows, where 14 stations commemorate events that befell him as he was led to his death.

Crowds pushed through the streets, with some bearing wooden crosses. Some groups chanted hymns in Latin, while local Christians sang in Arabic.

The Old City was full of visitors of different faiths yesterday. The Jewish Quarter and the Western Wall was packed with people, many of them Jewish Israelis celebrating the festival of Passover.

One of the key dates in the Christian calendar, Good Friday marks Christ's crucifixion and death, as recounted in the Bible. It is followed by the celebration of his resurrection on Easter Sunday.