BIS #1350 - WAY OF THE CROSS BY ARCHBISHOP MENAMPARAMPIL

ANS News VATICAN CITY, APRIL 10, 2009: The meditations for the Way of the Cross at which the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI will preside over today, Good Friday April 10, at the Colosseum, have been prepared by Salesian Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil of Guwahati, India. In a number of statements to the Catholic press, Archbishop Menamparampil has said that this service which the Holy Father has asked from him represents the closeness of the Pope to the Christians who are suffering persecution in India on account of their faith. “In the prayers of the Way of the Cross we meditate on the sufferings which Jesus experienced at the end of his life; in them we contemplate the sins we have committed and for which the world suffers. The prayers are inspired by human values, values which we need to pass on in order to create a better peaceful world” explained Archbishop Menamparampil to “The Telegraph”. The Salesian Archbishop further explained that in preparing the text of the meditations for the Way of the Cross on Good Friday he drew on the teachings of Indian spirituality which is that of non-violence. Archbishop Menamparampil is well-known as a promoter of peace and on various occasions has acted as a mediator in conflicts between different ethnic or religious groups in India.