On Good Friday, the Sufferings of Jesus Christ ceremony followed by the Way of the Cross was held in Izmir Santa Maria Church.
While the commemoration was directed by the Archbishop of Izmir, Monsignor Martin Kmetec, the Rector of the St. John’s Cathedral, the priests of the Holy Name of Virgin Mary Church of Bornova, the Santa Maria Church and the Karşıyaka St. Helena Church accompanied the ceremony.
After reading Words from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah and Words from the Epistle to the Hebrews, “The Sufferings and Death of Jesus Christ”, written by St. John, was read together with Monsignor Martin, Nicholas the deacon, and a member of the congregation.
Then, Monsignor Martin, in his sermon in Turkish and English: “The words of mercy that Jesus pronounced on the cross express God’s will to forgive us. This is the foundation of the Christian hope; God forgave us beforehand (Romans 5:8-10); God’s forgiveness is already there. Man is born again in God’s forgiveness and his whole life is marked by forgiveness. God’s forgiveness precedes man’s sin. But when sin is committed, forgiveness comes through a process of reconciliation. We have the opportunity to confess for this. God’s forgiveness on the cross is embodied in the mystery of reconciliation. Let us meditate in faith on Christ on the cross.”
After the Universal Prayers were said, the Cross was venerated. As the veil over the cross was gradually lifted, a prayer was recited each time as everyone kneeled three times as a sign of respect. Then, as Monsignor Martin held the cross, the entire congregation knelt and was silent for a while. This year, due to the pandemic, the traditional ritual of kissing Christ on the Cross was not held.
After the ceremony was over, the Way of the Cross was performed; only a few religious officials and priests went to 14 stops and wandered around, while members of the congregation remained in their places.
When the name of each stop was announced, the congregation knelt briefly, singing the Latin refrain “Adoramus te” (invocation). Then, after the texts of the Suffering of Christ with Words from the four Gospels were read in Turkish, English and Italian, in one of these languages at each stop, meditations related to each stop were read together by all participants. (Nathalie Ritzmann, SAT-7 TURK/İzmir)
