DALTON, Ga.-The words of condemnation thundered out across the crowd as Pontius Pilate sentenced a beaten and stained Jesus Christ to death, his long, dark hair half-hiding his face under the crown of thorns.
Although spoken in Spanish, there was no doubt what the words meant in any language, as the crowd of onlookers cheered and Roman soldiers placed the 100-pound cross on the shoulders of Gabriel Mejia, who was playing the role of Jesus.
Mejia and Refugio Cardola, who played Pilate, have taken part in the annual Good Friday re-enactment of the Stations of the Cross in St. Joseph Catholic Church for several years. It’s an event they say they look forward to as one of the most sacred traditions of their faith.
Cardola struggled to find the words to express his feelings before the event, pausing and gesturing with his hands to explain as he spoke through an interpreter. In the hallway and nearby gym, dozens of people dressed as Roman soldiers and mourners donned their robes and adjusted helmets.
“It is the most important part of our faith,” he said. “We use the passion as a way to send a message to people; to show why, the way they crucified Jesus Christ.”