He Pope Francis has decided not to preside over the traditional Stations of the Cross. on Good Friday at the Colosseum in Rome to take care of your health before the remaining observances of Holy Week, the Holy See confirmed in a statement.

“To preserve his health before tomorrow’s vigil and the Holy Mass on Easter Sunday, Pope Francis will follow the Via Crucis of the Colosseum from Casa Santa Marta,” the Vatican indicated minutes before the rites began.

The unexpected absence of 87-year-old Francisco could reignite concerns about deterioration his strength.

Pontiff uses cane or wheelchair move due to knee disease and suffers from recurring attacks bronchitis and flu.

Francis, who looked better this week after weeks during which he found it difficult to perform in public and canceled some appointments, also missed last year’s march after recovering from a four-day hospitalization for bronchitis.

The Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum is a re-enactment of Jesus’ death by crucifixion, in which participants take turns holding the cross as they walk through the ancient Roman arena, stopping to pray and listen to meditation.

Francis personally wrote the meditations this year for the first time in his 11 years of papacy. These included praise of meekness and forgiveness in response to atrocities and prayers for persecuted Christians and victims of war.

Earlier on Friday, the pope joined cardinals and bishops for a service of the Passion of the Lord in St. Peter’s Basilica, which included Latin songs recounting events from Jesus’ arrest to his funeral.

In previous years, Francis began services by prostrating himself on the floor of the basilica, but his fragile health no longer allows him to do so. Instead, he arrived in a wheelchair and prayed silently before the main altar. (EFE and Reuters)