The Pope will sit out most of the gruelling Way of the Cross procession on Good Friday, but his aides insisted that he was in perfect health.The 80-year-old pontiff completed the entire 14 stops of the ceremony last year at the Colosseum, but has decided that he will only walk the last three Stations.
Father Federico Lombardi, the papal spokesman, said: "The Pope does not want to do the long walk up the steps to the Palatine Hill, where the ceremony ends. The Easter schedule is very tiring and he wants to save his strength."
He added: "It will be clear to all viewers that the Pope is in good health, since he will be on television for morning and afternoon ceremonies almost every day."
The Way of the Cross will be led by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the vicar of Rome.
The Pope's decision to sit out the ceremony may also be diplomatic.
This year's prayers have been penned by Cardinal Zen, the Archbishop of Hong Kong, and are said to be targeted at religious oppression in China.
At one stop, the prayer says that the Church is "facing the deep shadows of persecution".
The Pope's predecessor John Paul II, who died in 2005 aged 84, took part in the walk for the last time in 2001, later watching on television.
The Pope has three foreign trips looming: the United States next month, Australia in July and France in September.
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