Good Friday

20 Stories

Pope Skips Procession at Last Minute

Vatican announces decision was made to conserve Francis' health

(Newser) - 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, which reenacts Christ's Passion and...

Christian Gets Nailed to Cross for 35th Time

He was one of 10 Filipinos crucified in annual ritual

(Newser) - A Filipino villager has been nailed to a wooden cross for the 35th time to reenact Jesus Christ's suffering in a brutal Good Friday tradition he said he would devote to praying for peace in Ukraine, Gaza, and the disputed South China Sea. Reuters reports that thousands of people,...

Real-Life Crucifixions Are Back After 3-Year COVID Pause

Church frowns on Good Friday reenactment of Jesus' suffering, but it's tradition in Philippines

(Newser) - Eight Filipinos were nailed to crosses to reenact Jesus Christ's suffering in a gory Good Friday tradition that draws thousands of devotees and tourists to the Philippines, despite the practice being rejected by the Catholic Church. The real-life crucifixions in the farming village of San Pedro Cutud in Pampanga...

Global Death Toll Reaches a Milestone

Coronavirus number rising, but some stats were positive

(Newser) - The worldwide death toll from the coronavirus has hit 100,000, according to the running tally kept by Johns Hopkins University . The true number of lives lost is likely to be much higher because of limited testing, different rules for counting the dead, and even cover-ups by some governments, the...

Easter Weekend Celebrations Happening in ... VW Buses?

Drive-in cinemas, livestreamed services are some workarounds during global virus lockdowns

(Newser) - Christians around the world observed a Good Friday like no other, at home watching livestreams instead of at church, as pressure mounted on governments to fend off further economic devastation from the coronavirus. Worldwide, the death toll closed in on 100,000 , with the confirmed number of infected topping 1....

Bishops Just Gave Catholics a Big Lenten Dispensation

Some dioceses are letting followers eat meat on Fridays (but not Good Friday) due to coronavirus

(Newser) - Catholics who don't eat meat on Fridays during Lent, as well as give up other things during the 40 or so days of the religious observance before Easter, probably didn't anticipate this year also sacrificing hanging out with friends, heading out to restaurants and bars, and attending most...

In Ireland, Good Friday Brings 91-Year First

Pubs can sell booze for first time since 1927

(Newser) - For the first time in 91 years, thirsty Irish folk can get a pint in a pub on Good Friday. Since 1927, a law has required bars to keep closed on the holiday, which has traditionally seen drinkers gather in homes or on booze-selling trains. In January, however, Ireland's...

To Be More Inclusive, City Renames 'Good Friday'

Bloomington, Indiana, changes Columbus Day, too

(Newser) - Bloomington, Indiana, city employees will indeed get paid time off for Good Friday and Columbus Day in 2017, but the holidays won't go by those names anymore. Mayor John Hamilton on Friday announced via memo that as a way to "demonstrate our commitment to inclusivity," the days...

Men Crucify Themselves in Philippines

It's a Good Friday tradition

(Newser) - It's Good Friday, which means it's time for the Philippines' annual bloody ritual : Devotees in northern villages had themselves nailed to wooded crosses to re-enact the crucifixion of Jesus Christ as thousands of local and foreign spectators watched. Church leaders and health officials in Asia's largest Roman...

Good Friday Dancing Ban Has Germany in a Twist

But some Germans say one-day ban small price for tradition

(Newser) - No, the "Tanzverbot" isn't the latest German dance craze. It's quite the opposite: the decades-old law that bans all organized dancing in Germany on Good Friday and other religious holidays. And with church attendance falling around Germany, its citizens are increasingly calling for the ban to be...

Catholics Nailed to Crosses in Philippines

Church opposes Good Friday ritual

(Newser) - Northern Philippines villagers commemorated Good Friday in their traditional manner , with penitents whipping themselves before some two dozen were nailed to crosses, reports Reuters . Thousands of tourists were on hand to watch and photograph the scene. A local sign painter, 52, has now performed the ritual 27 times; his screams...

Pope Francis to Wash, Kiss Inmates' Feet

New pope will break Holy Thursday tradition

(Newser) - At least he's washing them first: The new pope plans to wash and kiss the feet of juvenile delinquents in a rare gesture next Thursday, the Guardian reports. Instead of holding Holy Thursday mass in either St Peter's basilica or the basilica of St John in Lateran, Pope...

17 Men Nailed to Crosses in Philippines

 17 Men Nailed 
 to Crosses in 
 Philippines 
good friday
Apr 6, 2012 7:12 AM CDT

17 Men Nailed to Crosses in Philippines

Church opposes yearly ritual

(Newser) - At least 17 men were nailed to crosses to mark Good Friday in front of thousands in Philippine villages today. Under the watch of villagers posing as Roman centurions, the men were crucified for a few minutes as part of a religious reenactment that occurs yearly, the AP reports. Those...

In Nod to Pope, Cuba Gets a Holiday

Cuba to celebrate Good Friday for first time since 1959 revolution

(Newser) - It looks like Pope Benedict's visit to Cuba brought about at least one good thing for the Cuban people—a new holiday. On April 6, Cuba will celebrate its first Good Friday since the communist takeover in 1959, reports CNN . It's not the first time a pope has...

Faithful Crucify Themselves in Philippines

At least 24 nailed to crosses

(Newser) - At least 24 Filipinos celebrated Good Friday in an incredibly painful fashion today, by voluntarily having people dressed as Roman soldiers drive four-inch stainless-steal nails through their palms, and then hoist them into the midday sun. Such ritual crucifixions are a tradition in the country, and the largest of them...

Woman Killed After Priest's Car Plows Into Churchgoers

Elderly woman dies, 4 others injured in Good Friday accident

(Newser) - A woman was killed and four were injured when a priest lost control of his car and drove into Good Friday churchgoers in eastern Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Witnesses said the priest, 79, had finished assisting with services at St. Maurice Catholic Church and was driving around to the...

NYC Church Twitters Good Friday Ritual

Trinity Wall Street brings Good Friday online

(Newser) - A New York church is using Twitter to bring observance of Good Friday into the social-networking age, CNET reports. Trinity Wall Street is posting the Passion, 140-character piece by 140-character piece, from a set of accounts representing the characters in the story. The church already encourages the use of video...

Italy Holds Mass Funeral for Quake Victims

(Newser) - Italy today held a mass state funeral for 205 of the people killed in the Abruzzo earthquake and observed a national day of morning, the BBC reports. Dozens of coffins and thousands of people gathered at the open-air service at a police training base outside the damaged city of L’...

Why Close the Markets Today?
 Why Close the Markets Today? 
Mar 21, 2008 3:10 PM CDT

Why Close the Markets Today?

Observing Good Friday one reason; superstition about 1907 panic another

(Newser) - The Big Board is closed today—but the reason is open to some debate, Bloomberg reports. The last time the markets opened on Good Friday was 101 years ago, when they saw one of two huge crashes that made up the Panic of 1907. Fear of repeating that catastrophe may...

World's Holy Days Converge
 World's Holy Days Converge 
Mar 21, 2008 8:51 AM CDT

World's Holy Days Converge

Believers of almost all stripes have something to celebrate today

(Newser) - This Good Friday is not simply the most solemn day in the Christian calendar but a convergence of movable feasts that doesn't occur more than once in a century. March 21 is also the first day of the Jewish festival of Purim and the celebration of the birth of the...

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