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Philippines cancels 'Black Nazarene' parade as pandemic lingers

Published 10/23/2020, 11:56 AM
Updated 10/23/2020, 12:00 PM

MANILA, Oct 23 (Reuters) - The Philippine capital Manila on
Friday cancelled an annual procession of a centuries-old black
wooden statue of Jesus Christ that draws millions of Roman
Catholic devotees as the coronavirus pandemic continues to
afflict the country.
The Philippines, renowned for its colourful religious
rituals, has the second-highest number of novel coronavirus
infections and deaths in Southeast Asia behind Indonesia.
"The grand procession of the life-sized image of the Black
Nazarene in January 2021 has been cancelled due to the COVID-19
pandemic," the city government of Manila said in a statement.
Millions of devotees, mostly in yellow and maroon shirts and
walking barefoot, typically jostle to draw near a carriage
bearing the life-sized image of the "Black Nazarene" shouldering
a heavy cross. The statue, carved in Mexico, is believed to have
miraculous healing powers even to the slightest touch.
The procession, a tradition in the former Spanish colony
that goes back more than two centuries, usually lasts more than
20 hours.
Manila, the country's coronavirus hotspot, is under partial
quarantine restrictions until the end of October, with mass
gatherings banned and social distancing measures imposed on
public transport.
Cemeteries and columbaria have been ordered to close to
prevent crowding during the All Saints' and All Souls' Day
holidays starting in late October, while seating capacity in
churches is currently capped at 30%.
The respiratory virus has infected 363,888 people and killed
6,783 in the Philippines.
About 80 percent of the country's 107 million people
identify as Roman Catholic given hundreds of years as a Spanish
colony.

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