Philippines marks Good Friday with crucifixions

Apr 22, 2011, 9:51 GMT

Manila - More than a dozen people were nailed to wooden crosses in the Philippines on Friday in an annual re-enactment of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ despite the Catholic Church's disapproval.

Dozens more whipped their backs bloody in various parts of the predominantly Catholic country as penance for sins, offerings for wishes or a sign of thanksgiving.

Archbishop Paciano Aniceto, an official of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, said those who engage in such practices often miss the message of Easter and Christ's suffering.

'The Church does not ask you to punish yourself corporally,' he said. 'The Church asks you to deny yourself through mortification, prayer and sacrifice.'

'It's more of self-control rather than a physical infliction on your body,' he added.

The crucifixions were held in the northern provinces of Pampanga and Bulacan. The main event took place in San Pedro Cutud village in Pampanga, where thousands of tourists and devotees flocked to witness the crucifixions.

Ruben Enaje, a 50-year-old painter, began joining the crucifixions in San Pedro Cutud village 25 years ago after he survived unscathed a dangerous fall at work.

Enaje ignored calls from the Catholic Church for penitents who engage in bloody rituals to instead join prayer ceremonies in churches or recollections.

'I am marking the silver anniversary of my promise to be nailed to the cross every year,' he said. 'I promised to be nailed to the cross every year until 2013, and no one can stop me.'

Ahead of the crucifixions, dozens of hooded men walked shirtless and barefoot in the streets, hitting their backs with bamboo sticks attached to ropes or whips fitted with broken glass.

Others carried wooden crosses around their villages or lay on the hot pavement as men flogged their backs.

Foreigners used to join the crucifixions in San Fernando City but have been banned since 1997 after authorities found out that a Japanese man nailed to a cross the previous year was actually an actor being secretly filmed for a pornographic video.

In 2009, Australian comedian John Safran was allowed to be nailed to a cross in Paombong town in Bulacan, claiming he was a Catholic student whose mother was suffering from cancer.

Local officials were furious when they found out Safran was crucified for a comedy television show, prompting a strict screening process to avoid a similar incident.

The religious celebrations culminate on Easter Sunday, which marks the resurrection of Jesus. It is a major religious event in the Philippines, where more than 85 per cent of the population is Catholic.

Most of the week had been declared public holidays to allow Filipinos to go home to their provinces or take vacations. Government offices, private companies and most commercial establishments, such as shopping malls, are closed.