Pope misses Good Friday service

THE Pope’s own suffering kept him away from his flock on Good Friday, as Christians reflected on the suffering of Jesus on the most solemn day of the church calendar.

For the first time in his 26-year pontificate, John Paul was missing the Way of the Cross procession last night, which re-enacts Christ’s crucifixion amid the haunting ruins of Rome’s torch-lit Colosseum.

The 84-year-old Pontiff’s physical suffering has been evident for years as he battled Parkinson’s disease and crippling hip and knee ailments. But it has worsened with the effects of breathing problems that prompted two hospital admissions in a month.