Thousands of Filipinos March in Reverence of Catholic Icon

Tens of 1000’s of Catholic trustworthy walked via the streets of Manila early Sunday in reverence of a historic statue of Jesus Christ, which is believed to have miraculous powers.

The “stroll of religion,” which church officers estimated attracted greater than 80,000 individuals, started after a midnight Mass for the so-called Black Nazarene statue.

Many Filipinos consider touching or getting near the statue can result in the therapeutic of in any other case incurable illnesses and different success.

Evangeline Rugas, 59, was among the many worshippers attending the open-air Mass the place a duplicate of the icon has been on show.

She was “praying for a miracle” for her 5-year-old nephew who suffers from seizures and can’t stroll.

“Nothing is not possible for the Black Nazarene,” Rugas informed Agence France-Presse as she sat on a plastic sheet laid on the bottom.

The unique wood statue was dropped at the Philippines within the early 1600s when the nation was a Spanish colony.

Many Filipinos consider it obtained its darkish coloration after it survived a fireplace aboard a ship en route from Mexico.

This yr’s parade changed the standard frenzied procession, which used to contain a whole lot of 1000’s of believers thronging a life-sized statue because it was pulled via the streets on a float.

One of many largest shows of Catholic devotion within the Philippines, it was canceled for 2 years due to the pandemic.

This yr’s occasion was held a day earlier than the feast of the Black Nazarene, which falls on January 9, and with out the honored statue within the hope of lowering crowd numbers and the chance of an infection.

The roughly six-kilometer route ended at Quiapo Church, the place the Black Nazarene is enshrined.

Masks-wearing devotees, some carrying candles or small replicas of the Black Nazarene, poured via slim streets within the early hours of the morning.

Mercy Dayrit, 70, mentioned she had prayed “day and evening” to the Black Nazarene after she was identified with breast most cancers in 2016.

She was declared “most cancers free” final yr, which she attributes to the icon.

“So many miracles occur,” Dayrit mentioned.

Within the weeks main as much as Sunday’s stroll, the statue was taken to church buildings across the metropolis and close by provinces to offer worshippers the possibility to see and contact it within the hope of avoiding an enormous crowd on the feast day.