Cubans pray the Stations of the Cross in Santiago de Cuba during Holy Week

The community of Parroquia San Joaquín, in the municipality of San Luis, Santiago de Cuba, held the Processional Way of the Cross this Friday, led by Father Gregorio Koziot.

The faithful walked in procession from San Joaquín Parish to the Chapel of San Roque, carrying a wooden cross and meditating on each of the stations of the Stations of the Cross.

According to the account published by the parish itself, the participants progressed "carrying the cross on their backs," confronting each station with their own personal burdens.

Between one stop and another, the parish choir enlivened the procession with songs referring to the weight of the cross on the way to Calvary.

One of the songs sung by the faithful said: "When dusk arrives and the passion fades, hope remains for the sun to rise. Death has been conquered by love."

The celebration of the Stations of the Cross takes place within the Paschal Triduum, which at San Joaquín Parish began on Thursday with the Maundy Thursday Mass, also presided over by Father Koziot.

During that celebration, the pastor offered the mass "for the Paulist Fathers who were in this parish and who are now in different parts of the world, for Father Arturo who is present here, and for my own ministry."

During the homily on Holy Thursday, Father Koziot addressed the washing of the feet and the breaking of bread as the two great testamentary gestures of Jesus, and he performed the washing of feet for twelve members of the various parish ministries.

The street Via Crucis of San Luis contrasts with the pattern of restrictions that the Cuban regime has upheld in recent years against public processions in other parts of the country.

In 2025, the government banned for the second consecutive year the Solemn Stations of the Cross on Palm Sunday in El Vedado, Havana, and the procession of Christ of Humility in Trinidad, Sancti Spíritus, a tradition over 100 years old.

On Thursday, the Cuban government announced a pardon for more than 2,000 sanctioned individuals, a measure linked to the context of Holy Week and dialogues with the Vatican.

The prayer that concluded the processional journey encapsulates the spirit of the day: "Jesus, illuminate the darkness of our hearts and grant us upright faith, certain hope, perfect charity, and profound humility."