I am very happy about the Extreme Way of the Cross initiative and its growing popularity every year.

I am happy because I am convinced that if it were not for the Extreme Way of the Cross, many people would never have heard of the Way of the Cross at all. Perhaps they would never have experienced it or dared to face it. .

Secondly, I am also happy because the Extreme Way of the Cross makes us all realise that, ultimately and most profoundly, every Way of the Cross is extreme. It focuses us on extreme love: ‘There is no greater love than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends’ (J 15:13).

The event of the Cross is about love — not about what is so easy to dwell on: pain, suffering, wounds, spilled blood, bruises, the cruelty of death. It is about the love that lies behind all this: love for friends. And even more — love that makes friends.

It is similar with the Extreme Way of the Cross. Ultimately, it is not about the length of the route or its difficulty — especially in the dark and in inclement weather. It is about the love that allows us to face all of this. And even if for many of us it is not the primary motivation, I hope that during the Way, thanks to reflection and meditation, it will become our greatest discovery.

I cordially bless all those who undertake the Extreme Way of the Cross! I wish that they may meet a Friend on this path who was willing to give his life for them. I also wish that they may grow inwardly into this friendship — so that they may credibly invite others to join them.