‘Black Nazarene’ parade cancelled

Called off: Devotees gathering outside the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene earlier this month to catch the first Friday Mass of the month in Quiapo, Manila. The annual parade has been cancelled. — Reuters

The capital Manila 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 South-East 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 yesterday.