.- The bishop who preached the final Lenten spiritual exercises for St. John Paul II has been chosen to prepare meditations for the Way of the Cross to be celebrated on Good Friday at the Colosseum before Pope Francis.

Bishop Renato Corti, 79, is Bishop Emeritus of Novara; he told Vatican Radio March 7 the meditations he has prepared focus on the keyword 'protecting'.

In 2005, Bishop Corti was called by St. John Paul II to preach to the Roman Curia for the traditional Lenten Spiritual Exercise in the Vatican, the last St. John Paul II attended: the Pope died a week later, on April 2, 2005.

The Roman tradition of holding the Way of the Cross at the Coloseum on Good Friday goes back to the pontificate of Benedict XIV, who died in 1758.

The tradition was revived in 1964 by Bl. Paul VI, while under St. John Paul II the Way of the Cross at the Colosseum became a worldwide television event; the Pope himself used to carry the Cross.

The Pope personally chooses the person who writes the meditations for the stations, and the papal choice can indicate the issues the Pope wants to zero in on.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was chosen to write the meditations of the 2005 Way of the Cross, the last under St. John Paul II, and his meditations became the program of his pontificate when he was elected Bishop of Rome weeks later.

In 2007, Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun of Hong Kong discussed the difficult situation of China after Benedict XVI had sent a letter to Chinese Catholics, and in 2013 Cardinal Bechara Rai and a group of young people from Lebanon demonstrated the Pope's attention to the dramatic situation of Christians in the Middle East.

Pope Francis chose Archbishop Giancarlo Bregantini in 2014, well known for his commitment against the Mafia when he was bishop in Calabria; and Bishop Corti in 2015, a talented and much appreciated preacher.

Bishop Corti told Vatican Radio his keyword for the meditations is 'to protect or 'to take care of' – Italian 'custodire' – and he was inspired by St. Joseph's role as protector of the Holy Family.

Protecting will be discussed in three key topics: the Word of God, the Eucharist, and forgiveness. The meditations will be also filled with a prayer for the coming synod, so that “the works of synod will be accompanied by mercy and truth.”

“I also recalled some grave facts which exist, and which are negations of protecting; for example, the evil done to youth, the abandonment of the poor, and the already-forgotten pillars of peace as recalled by Pope John XXIII: truth, justice, liberty, love.”

Current issues which Bishop Corti will discuss include the abolition of the death penalty; an end to torture; human trafficking; and the persecution of Christians around the world. He will also discuss those “signs of the Kingdom of God which is coming” such as the missionary sisters who care for orphans and child soldiers.

He added that the meditations for the Way of the Cross will be empathetic and engaging, trying to see things from Christ's point of view rather than being merely descriptive.

A love for mission has always characterized Bishop Corti – while Bishop of Novara, he made several visits to Africa and Latin America.

He was born in 1936, and was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Milan in 1959, at the age of 23. He then was consecrated as Auxiliary Bishop of Milan in 1981; then, he served as Bishop of Novara from 1991 to 2011, when he retired.

Since retiring, Bishop Corti has spent much of his time preaching spiritual exercises.