On Good Friday, thousands of Christian pilgrims filled the streets of Jerusalem’s Old City for the traditional Way of the Cross procession along the Via Dolorosa. Despite heightened security and travel restrictions stemming from the ongoing Gaza conflict and the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 events, this year’s turnout exceeded that of 2024, according to the Jerusalem Patriarchate’s press office.

The day began early at the Monastic Church of Saints Constantine and Helen, where His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III presided over the solemn Royal Hours service, joined by the clergy of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

At 10:00 a.m., following Greek Orthodox tradition, a procession led by Archimandrite Mattheos, the senior dragoman of the Patriarchate, departed from the Patriarchate headquarters to open the doors of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This marked the beginning of the deeply symbolic Way of the Cross procession along the Via Dolorosa — the “Path of Suffering” believed to be the route Jesus Christ walked carrying the Cross to Golgotha.

Archbishop Philoumenos of Pella carried the Cross, accompanied by local Christians and throngs of international pilgrims. Along the route, prayers and hymns echoed through the narrow streets as participants moved from the site of Christ’s imprisonment at the Praetorium to the hill of Calvary.

At the Holy Monastery, Archbishop Philoumenos delivered a homily reflecting on the redemptive sacrifice of Christ and the transformative power of His humility. The procession concluded at Golgotha, where the Royal Hours were read again, drawing the faithful into deep spiritual reflection.

Throughout the day, worshippers continued to arrive in reverence at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, venerating what is considered the holiest site in Christianity on its most sacred day.