Pope Francis highlighted the plight of the poor, the elderly and the abandoned during the Way of the Cross procession in Rome to mark Good Friday.
Pope Francis performs the sign of the cross at the end of the Celebration of the Way of the Cross. Photo: AFP
The ceremony marks the commemoration of Christ's crucifixion.
The BBC reports tens of thousands of people lined the route near the Colosseum.
The procession route included 14 stages, known as Stations of the Cross, at which specially written meditations were recited.
The Pontiff urged the crowd to remember all the abandoned people, and spoke of the "monstrosity of man" when he lets evil guide him.
He said that evil will not have the last word, but love, mercy and pardon will.
Also at the ceremony, Father Raniero Cantalamessa delivered a sermon on the injustice of human trafficking and the suffering caused by environmental damage.
He said money was behind every evil in society.
