Pope cuts saint in controversial edit of Stations story
Pope Benedict chose the annual Good Friday events in Rome last night to unveil a much changed order to the traditional procession which retraces the route Jesus took from prison to his crucifixion on the Hill of Calvary in 14 stages or ‘stations’.
The most dramatic changes include the omission of the station, traditionally the sixth, where St Veronica wipes the face of Jesus, and the three stations which record Jesus falling under the weight of the wooden cross he is forced to carry.
In their place, the procession begins at an earlier point in the Crucifixion story, starting in the Garden of Olives where Jesus is betrayed by Judas. Pontius Pilate, the governor who condemned Jesus to death, has also been included.
The Stations of the Cross are depicted in paintings, stained glass windows or carvings in almost every Catholic Church in the country and most will now find their sequence and content at variance with that adopted by the Vatican.
Devotees of St Veronica may also be dismayed by her effective demotion as many believe that the cloth she used to wipe the blood and perspiration from Jesus’s brow became endowed with miraculous powers.
The Catholic Communications Office, which represents the country’s bishops, said it could not comment on the changes as there had been no formal notification issued from the Vatican.
The changes emerged when the programme and meditations for last night’s ceremonies in Rome, are held in the Colosseum, were published on the Vatican’s official website.
Fr John Littleton, president of the National Conference of Priests of Ireland, was also unfamiliar with the changes but said the country’s 3.7 million Catholics should not be too surprised or upset by them.
“The Stations of the Cross are not part of the official liturgy of the Church. The Rosary is in the same category. They are a devotional aid and they are prayed at all kinds of times though obviously with particular relevance on Good Friday.
“They are a very important part of the devotional life of the Church but it’s not like changing the Mass or sacramental celebrations.”
Fr Littleton said he did not expect pressure on churches to change their depictions. “What is happening is similar to when Pope John Paul II, introduced five new mysteries to the Rosary. For centuries there were 15 and suddenly there were 20. There was a lot of debate at the time about whether he had the right to do that but the consensus was that he did.”
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