Crowd gathers in Dublin park for Good Friday pilgrimage

By Grainne Ni Aodha, Press Association

More than one hundred people gathered in the Phoenix Park in Dublin to take part in an event to mark Good Friday.

The Way of the Cross in Dublin marks five scenes from Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, beginning at the Wellington Monument and ending at the Papal Cross.

Families, couples and people with their dogs came to take part in the short pilgrimage to the white cross erected in 1979 for the visit of Pope John Paul II, the first papal visit to Ireland.

There were prayers, readings and choral singing to mark the beginning of the Easter weekend.

The event on Friday was led by the Archbishop of Dublin Dermot Farrell, who spoke to the crowd about compassion, the plight of the hungry, and voluntary organisations that were “crying out for help in our time-poor society”.

Speaking to the Press Association, he said it was a symbolic and “public” celebration of Jesus Christ’s life and death.

Independent Senator Ronan Mullen, who was among the crowd, said he attends the event most years before heading home to Galway.

“I’ve seen different crowds in different years, and this, I think is one of the better crowds,” he said.

“It’s slightly better weather-wise than it was last year, but still a bit cold.”

He said the event aimed to mark “the high point of the church year” and allowed people to gather with other Catholics.

“There’s an almost pilgrimage element to this, I’m a big fan of the Camino myself and there is something about walking, being with others, reflecting, praying.

“One of the things I like most about it is you see the church in all its diversity here because there’s an awful lot of new Irish people, from all races and nationalities, and it’s lovely to see.”

Expanding on his address to the outdoor congregation, Archbishop Farrell told PA that there are many people who feel marginalised and many wars in the world, including Lebanon, South Sudan and Yemen.

“All of these people are suffering greatly today,” he said.

“Many innocent people being killed by people who are waging war remotely sometimes, you can be sitting thousands of miles away on a computer and directing drones to kill innocent people as a way of putting pressure on regimes to change, etc.

“So there is cruelty there, a huge loss of innocent life which is totally contrary to any understanding we have of a just war.”