Catholic News Service: Mood changes as pope, young people reflect on suffering in Way of Cross

The mood at World Youth Day changed dramatically late Aug. 19 as Pope Benedict XVI and hundreds of thousands of young people turned their thoughts to suffering.

The vividly painted, graphic statues that illustrated each station of Jesus' passion and death were accompanied by meditations focused on individuals, groups and nations enduring serious suffering today.

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Ryan Titzer, a 17-year-old parishioner of St. Timothy Parish in Chantilly, Va., described the "pasos" as "3-D Stations of the Cross."

"They show such reality in the way they depicted the scenes," he said. "I had to get a picture of every single one to show my parents, just because they were incredible looking."

"It's different then seeing a painting or a picture of him," he added. "You could see the pain on Jesus' face, and it just made it more real."

One of Titzer's fellow pilgrims, Bayleigh Aschenbrenner, 16, said the only thought in her head was, "It's unimaginable that he went through all that for us."

"It's very humbling," she said, and it gave her a greater appreciation for Jesus' passion. "Being a more visual person, it's definitely clicked a whole lot more."

Photo: CNS/Paul Haring