MANILA (Reuters) – Hundreds of thousands of barefoot devotees joined an annual procession in the Philippines of a centuries-old statue of Jesus Christ on Thursday, in one of the world’s largest displays of devotion and expression of Catholic faith.
Filipinos turned the streets of Manila into a sea of maroon and gold and crowded around the “Black Nazarene,” a life-size image of Jesus Christ carrying a cross, as devotees jostled for a chance to pull the thick rope. that towed the carriage through the Philippine capital.
The organizers of the procession have estimated that some 220,000 people attended mass before the procession, while 94,500 were at the march at 8:00 a.m. (00:00 GMT). That number is expected to increase as it progresses along its 5.8-kilometer (3.6-mile) route.
Other devotees threw white towels at the image as bailiffs cleaned its surface, believing that touching the statue would bless them and cure their illnesses.
Nearly 80% of Filipinos identify as Roman Catholics, a key legacy of Spanish colonization in the Philippine archipelago for more than 300 years.
The late Filipino priest and theologian Sabino Vengco said in 2019 that the venerated black color of the statue was due to the mesquite wood used in the construction of the image, debunking an ancient myth that the blackened image was due to a fire that broke out on the ship that took her to the Philippines from Mexico at the beginning of the 17th century.
The procession, called a “trastación”, commemorates the transfer of the Black Nazarene from a church within the former Spanish capital of Intramuros to its current location in the church of Quiapo.
Cardinal Jose Advincula, archbishop of Manila, on Thursday told devotees to turn away from evil, greed and vices 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,” Advincula said in his homily before the procession.