Philippine devotees nailed to the cross in Good Friday rites

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN FERNANDO, Philippines - Philippine devotees re-enacted Jesus Christ's suffering today by having themselves nailed to crosses in rites frowned upon by Roman Catholic church leaders.

Thirty-seven-year-old Fernando Mamangon was among the first of some 30 men scheduled to go through the Good Friday rites in three villages in northern Pampanga province's San Fernando city.

Five other devotees, including a woman, were nailed to crosses in nearby Bulacan province.

It was Mamangon's 13th straight year for the rite, which penitents endure to fulfil a vow or pray for a cure for illnesses.

The yearly tradition has become a tourist attraction, especially in San Fernando's San Pedro Cutud village, which sometimes draws thousands of local and foreign tourists.

On Wednesday, Archbishop Paciano Aniceto of San Fernando city urged devotees not to turn Holy Week into a "circus."

© The Canadian Press, 2008