On Friday, the faithful throngs crowded along Copacabana beach to walk the Stations of the Cross, life-sized constructions along Avenida Atlantica, at which the cross of World Youth Day and the Icon of Our Lady paused and the dramatization of each station was televised on the multiple big screens along the beach. At the end of the procession, the cross was raised on the stage from which the Pope delivered a sermon in a mixture of Spanish and Portuguese. For Oliver Petter from the Diocese of London, currently in his second year of seminary in Oxford, Friday evening\u2019s events were particularly impressive. The difference in the symbolism in Brazil was of note for him \u201d\u201c he commented that many countries perform the stations of the cross with a \u201d\u02dcbody\u2019 present, but: \u201c\u201d\u00a6to process with an empty cross here with a crown of thorns\u201d\u00a6 it symbolizes absence, loss\u201d\u00a6 and yet 1 million people there on the beach, such a manifestation of resurrection, in stillness and reverence\u201d\u00a6 that was very moving\u201d\u00a6\u201d\u009d’<\/p>\n