Holy Week

Pope Benedict XVI walks without shoes to kiss a tall wooden crucifix as he presides over Good Friday services in St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, on Friday, April 14, 2006. Pope Benedict XVI presided over Good Friday services in St. Peter's Basilica a few hours before his scheduled participation in a torch-lit Way of the Cross procession at the Colosseum in Rome.

Jerusalem

Christian pilgrims carry a large wooden cross along Via Dolorosa towards the Church of the Holy Sepulchre retracing Jesus Christ's steps toward his crucifixion during a Good Friday procession in Jerusalem Friday, April 14, 2006.

Jerusalem

An American actor dressed as Jesus Christ reenacts the crucifixion as he walks the stations of the cross to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, traditionally believed to be the site of the crucifixion and burial, during a Good Friday procession in Jerusalem's Old City, Friday, April 14, 2006.

Indonesia

Devotees weep as they carry bamboo crosses during a Good Friday procession in Sawangan village near the town of Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia, Friday, April 14, 2006. Christians in the world's most populous Muslim country on Friday observed the holy day in memory of the crucifixion of Christ.

Spain

Penitents follow "La Macarena" during a Holy Week procession in Seville, southern Spain, Friday, April 14, 2006. Hundreds of processions take place throughout Spain during the Easter Holy Week.

Uruguay

A Uruguayan cowboy falls from his horse during a rodeo at the annual "Rural Fair" in Montevideo, Uruguay, Thursday, April 13, 2006. Every year during Holy Week, hundreds of Uruguayan cowboys show their skills and compete for the title of best rider in the rodeo.

The Vatican

Pope Benedict XVI arrives in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican to celebrate the Chrismal Mass on Thursday, April 13, 2006. The Pontiff recalled the sacrifice of a cleric slain in Turkey as he celebrated a Holy Week Mass dedicated to priests.

The Vatican

Pope Benedict XVI dries the feet of one of 12 men during the Holy Mass in St. John Lateran Basilica in Rome, Thursday, April 13, 2006. During the Mass, Benedict re-enacted Jesus' washing of his apostles' feet during the Last Supper, saying the act cleansed the "filth" of mankind.

England

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II holds flowers during her walk-about in Guildford High Street, England, after distributing Maundy Money at Guildford Cathedral on Thursday, April 13, 2006. During the centuries-old Holy Week ceremony, the monarch gives bags of newly minted coins to 80 men and 80 women, all specially chosen.

Spain

A penitent closes her eyes as she holds a candle during a Holy Week procession in Pamplona, Spain, on Thursday, April 13, 2006. Holy Thursday marks the start of a series of solemn ceremonies in the Catholic Church in which the faithful relive Jesus' suffering, crucifixion and death - and then his resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Colombia

Catholics carry an effigy of Jesus Christ during a Holy Week procession in Chiquinquira, Colombia, on Thursday, April 13, 2006. Holy Week is the last week of Lent, the week immediately preceding Easter Sunday.

Brazil

Hooded penitents take part in the "Prociso do Fogareu," the Torches Procession of Brotherhood, during Holy Week ceremonies in Goias Velho, Brazil, on Thursday, April 13, 2006. The penitents, known as farricocos, represent the soldiers of the Praetorian Guard who arrested Christ.

Brazil

A penitent takes part in the "Prociso do Fogareu," the Torches Procession of Brotherhood, during Holy Week ceremonies in Goias Velho, Brazil, on Thursday, April 13, 2006. Hundreds of Easter processions take place throughout Brazil during Holy Week.

Lagos

A woman checks wares for sale outside the Holy Cross Catherdal in Lagos, Nigeria, on Thursday, April 13, 2006. Many Christians around the world are preparing for Holy Week.

Jerusalem

Christian women chat as they sit on a bench at the entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, traditionally believed by Christians to be the place where Jesus was buried, in Jerusalem's Old City, on Thursday, April 13, 2006. Christians around the world are marking the solemn period Holy Week before Easter Sunday.

El Salvador

A man dressed as a "Talciguin" (possessed man) partakes in Holy Week celebrations in Texistepeque, El Salvador, Thursday, April 6, 2006. The feast of the Talciguines is a religious feast during Easter week in which red-hooded men roam the streets flogging people in order to free them from their sins.

Canton, Ohio

Zev Rosenberg participates in a Seder on Wednesday, April 12, 2006, at Temple Israel in Canton, Ohio. The seder is a retelling of the story of the exodus of Egypt that led to the holy nation of Israel. The Jewish holiday of Passover began Wednesday at sundown. This year, it is observed from April 12 to 20.

Colombia

Catholic devotees carry an effigy of Jesus Christ as children perform the last supper during a Holy Week procession in Chiquinquira, Colombia, Thursday, April 13, 2006.

Jerusalem

An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish father reads a prayer with his sons as they gather around a fire to burn leavened items in a final preparation before the Passover holiday in Jerusalem, Wednesday, April 12, 2006. All leavened food, such as bread, is forbidden to Jews during the week-long Passover holiday commemorating the Israelites' hasty departure from Egypt. The holiday began at sundown Wednesday.

Ecuador

Maria Escobar, 73, sits by a plate of traditional Ecuadorean Easter food called Fanesca, made of grains, cereals, and fish, which is only eaten during Holy Week celebrations, in Quito, Ecuador, Wednesday, April 12, 2006.