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| Pilgrims mark Holy Week in Rome | |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| In Rome tens of thousands of foreign pilgrims are attending Holy Week ceremonies. | |
| On Easter Sunday morning Pope Benedict will be giving his traditional blessing and message, Urbi et Orbi, to the city of Rome and to the world. | On Easter Sunday morning Pope Benedict will be giving his traditional blessing and message, Urbi et Orbi, to the city of Rome and to the world. |
| On Friday night, the white-robed Pope led rites at the Colosseum, the ancient Roman amphitheatre. | On Friday night, the white-robed Pope led rites at the Colosseum, the ancient Roman amphitheatre. |
| The ceremonies commemorate the suffering and death by crucifixion of Jesus Christ. | The ceremonies commemorate the suffering and death by crucifixion of Jesus Christ. |
| Thousands of pilgrims, each carrying a flickering candle, prayed with him as a procession of church dignitaries and ordinary believers wound its way through the 2,000-year-old ruins. | Thousands of pilgrims, each carrying a flickering candle, prayed with him as a procession of church dignitaries and ordinary believers wound its way through the 2,000-year-old ruins. |
| Pilgrims lined the route to the Roman amphitheatre | Pilgrims lined the route to the Roman amphitheatre |
| On Saturday night, the Pope will celebrate Easter midnight Mass in St Peter's Basilica. | |
| As the mass begins, the huge darkened building will be suddenly flooded with light symbolising the resurrection of Christ. | As the mass begins, the huge darkened building will be suddenly flooded with light symbolising the resurrection of Christ. |
| And on Easter Sunday morning Pope Benedict, who celebrates his 80th birthday in a few days' time, will deliver his traditional Easter blessing and message to the city of Rome and to the world. | And on Easter Sunday morning Pope Benedict, who celebrates his 80th birthday in a few days' time, will deliver his traditional Easter blessing and message to the city of Rome and to the world. |
| Thousands of people are planning also to march through the centre of Rome on Sunday morning in support of international moves to abolish the death penalty in the diminishing number of countries which still carry out capital punishment. | Thousands of people are planning also to march through the centre of Rome on Sunday morning in support of international moves to abolish the death penalty in the diminishing number of countries which still carry out capital punishment. |