The Case for Looking Away From Suffering - WSJ

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/opinion/the-case-for-looking-away-from-suffering-87185bf9 By Benjamin A. Saltzman April 12, 2026 3:00 pm ET Listen (7 min) Pope Leo XIV celebrated Easter Sunday with an admonition: “The cross of Christ always reminds us of the suffering and pain that surround death and the agony it entails. We are all afraid of death, and out of fear we turn away, preferring not to look. We cannot continue to be indifferent!” While his call for peace and an end to the “globalization of indifference” is a vital message for our time, turning away isn’t always a sign of indifference. Walk through the Convent of San Marco in Florence, and you’ll see Crucifixion after Crucifixion in frescos by the 15th-c

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/opinion/the-case-for-looking-away-from-suffering-87185bf9 By Benjamin A. Saltzman April 12, 2026 3:00 pm ET Listen (7 min) Pope Leo XIV celebrated Easter Sunday with an admonition: “The cross of Christ always reminds us of the suffering and pain that surround death and the agony it entails.