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A team of 270 men carries the 1.8 tonne Virgen de la Esperanza statue in procession past Rome’s Colosseum as part of the Jubilee of Confraternities on Saturday (CNS/Pablo Esparza)

Under a strong spring sun, hundreds of men processed past ancient Roman ruins carrying statues of the crucified Christ and his sorrowful mother on heavy wood bases. Source: CNS.

They were accompanied on Saturday by tens of thousands of members of Catholic confraternities from Spain, Italy, Portugal, France and dozens of other countries.

The Jubilee of Confraternities featured two processions – one from near the third-century Baths of Caracalla and the other from near Rome’s Colosseum – that met at the Circus Maximus, the ancient chariot-racing stadium that is now a grass-covered basin that hosts concerts and large public gatherings.

The main attractions of the processions, which lasted more than four hours, were the 1.8 tonne statue Virgen de la Esperanza (Our Lady of Hope) from Málaga, Spain – carried by 270 men – and the statue of the crucified Christ, called “the Most Holy Christ of the Expiration,” also known as El Cachorro from Seville, Spain. That statue was carried by 40 men, who were hidden from view as they bore the statue under drapery.

The statues had been on display on Friday in St Peter’s Basilica where the pilgrims celebrated Mass. But as they were carried through Rome, throngs of residents and tourists lined the streets and applauded.

Many of the confraternities trace their origins to the Middle Ages. While they are most known for their penitential processions in Holy Week in Spain or on Marian feast days in other countries, they also continue to be engaged in works of charity and keep ancient forms of popular piety alive in villages and cities throughout Europe. 

FULL STORY

Jubilee event combines popular piety, venerated statues and ancient ruins (By Cindy Wooden, CNS)