MANILA — Hundreds of thousands of barefoot devotees joined an annual procession in the Philippines of a centuries-old statue of Jesus Christ on Thursday (Jan 9) in one of the world's grandest displays of Catholic devotion and expression of faith.

Filipinos turned the streets of Manila to a sea of maroon and gold and swarmed the "Black Nazarene", a life-sized image of Jesus Christ bearing down a cross, as devotees jostled for a chance to pull the thick rope towing the carriage across the Philippine capital.

The procession's organisers have estimated about 220,000 people attended mass before the procession, while 94,500 were in the march as of 8am (0000 GMT). That number is expected to swell as it moves along its 5.8 km route.

Other devotees threw white towels at the image as marshals wiped them of its surface, believing that touching the statue would bless them and heal their illnesses.

Nearly 80 per cent of Filipinos identify as Roman Catholic, a key legacy of Spanish colonisation in the Philippine archipelago for more than 300 years.

The late Filipino priest and theologian Sabino Vengco said in 2019 the statue's revered black colour was due to the mesquite wood used in constructing the image, debunking a longstanding myth its blackened image was due to a fire that erupted on the ship that carried it to the Philippines from Mexico in the 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 present location in Quiapo church.

Cardinal Jose Advincula, Manila's archbishop, told devotees on Thursday to turn away from evil, greed and vices and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.

"Let us live up to his commandments, embrace his teachings and follow his example. It is better to follow the Beloved Lord," Advincula said in his homily ahead of the procession.

Source: Reuters