Mock crucifixions have been going on for decades The last hours of Jesus Christ have been re-enacted by religious zealots in the Philippines. The re-enactment falls on the Christian holiday of Good Friday. AFP reported that foreign tourists have flocked to San Fernando, north of Manila to witness the annual “passion play.”
The re-enactment is soaked in gritty realism, as the zealots are whipped with bamboo in an attempt to emulate the suffering of Christ.
The church has stressed its disapproval to the annual ceremony, but this has not deterred the devotees who commit to mock crucifixions.
One devotee told AFP that he participates for his family, so that no one will get sick “I am a poor man,” he added “but I do not ask God to make me rich.” He confessed that he is used to the ritual, and that he returns to work only two days after the ordeal.
The mock crucifixions have been going on for decades despite official disapproval from the Philippines’ Catholic bishops.
The Philippines is home to an estimated 80 million Catholics. Still heavily influenced by the Church, divorce and abortion remain illegal.