Devotees nailed to crosses on Good Friday in Philippines
Aaron Favila, The Associated Press
Published Friday, March 30, 2018 11:09AM EDT
SAN PEDRO CUTUD, Philippines -- Seven Filipino Roman Catholic devotees, including a woman, were nailed to wooden crosses in a Good Friday reenactment of Jesus Christ's suffering that was watched by thousands of spectators but frowned upon by church leaders.
Three devotees wearing crowns of twigs were nailed to crosses by villagers dressed as Roman centurions on a dusty hill in San Pedro Cutud village, and four others were nailed to crosses in nearby farming villages in San Fernando city north of Manila, tourism officer Ching Pangilinan said.
The spectacle reflects a unique brand of Catholicism that merges church traditions with folk superstitions. Many of the mostly impoverished penitents undergo the ritual to atone for sins, pray for the sick or for a better life, or give thanks for what they believe were God-given miracles.
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