PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Hundreds of Catholics marched through Center City to mark Good Friday, combining a traditional religious observance with a call for immigration reform.
The two-hour, one-mile “Stations of the Cross” procession began near the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office at 8th and Arch streets and wound through Chinatown, City Hall and Love Park before ending at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.
Participants stopped 15 times along the route to pray, sing and reflect.
The event was organized by Faithful Philadelphia, a coalition of more than 20 Catholic organizations. Leaders said this year they reimagined the story of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion through the experiences of migrants and refugees.
“We’re here to commemorate Good Friday, when Jesus was arrested, condemned, tortured and killed. And the imitation for that today, as Catholics, as Christians, is to remember the people today that are walking in Jesus’ shoes, specifically, the migrants in this country right now,” said Peter Pedenonti of the New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia.
Organizers said the annual tradition, observed by Christian communities worldwide, is meant to connect Christ’s suffering to modern-day injustices.
“Each year preceding Easter, Christian communities around the world gather in public places to recreate the story of Jesus’ passion,” organizers said. “We know that migrants and refugees, in a mirroring of Jesus’ journey to the cross, are suffering and dying because of forced migration, unjust immigration policies and dehumanizing systems.”
Participants said the public demonstration was intended to show solidarity with immigrants facing deportation and detention.
Sister Joyce Bell, who attended the march alone, said she felt compelled to participate despite not often traveling into the city.
“I just believe that how our immigrants are being treated today is just, it lacks all decency,” Bell said. “I’m not a traveler into the city a lot, but I did it because I believe we have a right to be here, and for them, we do it for them.”
Throughout the procession, participants drew parallels between the suffering of Jesus and the experiences of detained migrants and separated families.
“I hope when we look at the faces of those who are detained, who are sent back to their countries, who are separated from their families, that we remember Jesus,” Pedenonti said.
The procession concluded with prayer at the Basilica, as similar demonstrations took place across the country.
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