Concerns over Pope’s health as he misses Good Friday procession in Rome

Vatican ushers carry Pope Francis’s chair prior to the start of the Via Crucis at the Colosseum on Good Friday (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Francis skipped the traditional Good Friday procession at Rome’s Colosseum to protect his health, the Vatican said, adding to concerns about his frail condition during a particularly busy liturgical period.

Francis had been expected to preside over the Way of the Cross procession, which re-enacts Christ’s Passion and crucifixion, and composed the meditations that are read aloud at each station.