MANILA: Thousands of church executors marched in the Philippine capital on Saturday to view a centennial image of Jesus Christ believed to have miraculous healing powers, after an annual Catholic procession canceled because of Covid-19.
Leaving official claims to stay at home due to the threat of the virus, Catholics gathered with a mask and face shields on a path outside Quiapo Church in Manila where the first of 15 masses for the Nazi feast began Black before morning.
People were patiently waiting to enter the church or watch the big people back who were broadcast live on big screens outside.
The scenes were orderly in contrast to the usual frenzied procession in which hundreds of thousands of pilgrims used their lives and arms to rub the statue with the belief that the sick could be healed.
The life-size image – given to the Philippines in the early 1600s when the country was a Spanish colony – is traditionally dragged through the crowded streets of the capital in one of the largest exhibitions. in the world of Catholic theology.
But fearing it could turn into a virus super-spreader event this year, authorities canceled the march for the first time in decades and instead urged people to watch the horror live on Facebook.
Worshipers attending the church had to look but not touch the statue, which was removed from access on the balcony above the entrance. .
For many, that was enough.
“I’m so happy with what I see here now,” said George Arevalo, 32, after attending a mass, where social distance rules have restricted the congregation to around 400 people for each service.
Arevalo said he touched the statue for the first time during the 2017 march, an act he believes ensured that an epileptic wife, who was pregnant at the time, was able to deliver a healthy baby.
The threat of catching the coronavirus, which has captured nearly half a million people in the country, did not bother Marlene Ordiales, 58, who believed that the Black Nazis would protect her.
“I’m not worried about the pandemic. I’m leaving it up to him,” Ordiales told AFP while waiting to enter the church.
Several thousand police were deployed to ensure social distance in the religious population. Manila police chief. Gen. Leo Francisco thought hundreds of miles had been considered by mid-afternoon.
About 80 percent of Filipinos see themselves as Catholics.
The statue is called the Black Nazarene because of its charred color, which is believed to have occurred when it survived a fire on board a ship en route from Mexico.
In the weeks leading up to Saturday, it was taken to several churches across the city to allow executors to see in hopes of avoiding large crowds on festival day.
But many, like Jasper De Guzman, wanted to take part.
“We shouldn’t be afraid because Jesus is with us,” the 47-year-old said.
“The pandemic can’t stop us.”