Nazarene devotees risk injury for a miracle with a touch of Christ’s statue

MANILA, Philippines — Hundreds of thousands of Catholic pilgrims swarmed the streets of Manila in search of a miracle Thursday, straining to reach a centuries-old statue of Jesus Christ, oblivious to injury, in an annual display of religious fervor.

The procession to the Philippine capital’s Quiapo Church, which started before dawn after an open-air mass, was expected to swell to more than two million participants from across the heavily Catholic country, church officials said.

Barefoot men and women in maroon shirts — the color of the robe that covers the black, wooden Jesus the Nazarene statue — scrambled to grab the rope used to draw the life-sized religious icon, believing it would bring good health.

‘WE BELIEVE’ Devotees reach out to the image of the Black Nazarene that is in procession during its feast in Manila on Jan. 9, 2025. The Philippine Red Cross said that as of 1 p.m., it has treated over 400 devotees suffering from nausea to abrasions, breathing difficulties and sprains, some of whom needed to be brought to hospitals. According to the Manila Public Information Office, over 140,000 people left the Quirino Grandstand in the early morning following a mass and the number was expected to swell as the procession rolled on until the image of the Nazarenen was returned to Quiapo Chur