MANILA (Reuters) – Hundreds of thousands of barefoot worshipers joined the annual procession of a centuries-old statue of Jesus Christ in the Philippines on Thursday in one of the world’s largest displays of Catholic devotion and expression of faith.
Filipinos turned the streets of Manila into a sea of maroon and gold and gathered around the “Black Nazarene”, a life-size image of Jesus Christ carrying a cross, as worshipers jostled for a chance to pull the thick rope that pulls the chariot across the Philippine capital.
Procession organizers estimate that around 220,000 people attended the mass before the procession, while 94,500 were in the march from 8am (0000 GMT). That number is expected to grow as it moves along its 5.8 km (3.6 mi) route.
Other devotees threw white towels at the image as marshals wiped them off the surface, believing that touching the statue would bless them and cure them of illness.
Almost 80% of Filipinos identify as Roman Catholic, a key legacy of Spanish colonization of the Philippine archipelago for more than 300 years.
The late Filipino priest and theologian Sabino Vengco said in 2019 that the statue’s revered black color was due to the mesquite wood used to make the image, debunking a long-standing myth that its black image was caused by a fire that broke out on a ship transporting it to the Philippines from Mexico in early 17th century.
The procession, called the “traslacion,” or translation, commemorates the transfer of the Black Nazarene from a church inside the old Spanish capital of Intramuros to its current location in Quiapo Church.
Cardinal Jose Advincula, the archbishop of Manila, told devotees on Thursday to turn away from evil, greed and vice and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.
“Let us live according to his commandments, embrace his teachings and follow his example. It is better to follow the Beloved Lord,” Advinkula said in a sermon before the procession.
