Frenzied Catholic procession in Manila
Print Edition
MASSES of Catholic devotees in Manila braved sizzling weather and terrorist fears yesterday in a frenzied bid to touch a centuries-old statue of Jesus Christ that is believed to have miraculous powers.
The annual parade, which police said attracted more than 1 million people, is one of the world’s biggest displays of Catholic devotion and showcases the Philippines’ status as the Church’s bastion in Asia.
Many Filipinos believe touching or getting close to the life-sized statue, which was brought to the Philippines in the early 1600s when the nation was a Spanish colony, can lead to the healing of otherwise incurable ailments and other good fortune.
“If you seek a favor it will be granted as long as you pray hard,” Lolit Gonzales, 45, said as she sat on the sidewalk after taking her turn pulling on a thick length of rope that moved the statue’s carriage forward.
The Manila manicurist attributed the healing two years ago of a painful right knee, which her doctor had told her required surgery and medicines that she could not afford, to taking part in the procession at that time.
Gonzales said she had returned to ensure her knee ailment did not recur, since she had no health insurance and was the only breadwinner in her family.
The pilgrims walked Manila’s concrete streets as the temperature climbed above 30 degrees Celsius without footwear as a sign of penance and to imitate a barefoot Jesus carrying the cross before he was crucified. The statue is called the Black Nazarene because of its charred color, believed to have occurred when it survived a fire aboard a ship when being brought to the Philippines from Mexico.
Replica crosses and other religious icons and images followed the cross carriage six abreast, borne on the back of trucks, atop pedicabs and manually drawn carriages in an extremely slow procession that was expected to last into the night.
Such extreme forms of worship are a hallmark of the Philippines which is 80 percent Roman Catholic.
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