Black Nazarene Procession Resumes in Manila Amid Prayers for Mideast Peace

Heightened security measures in place as devotees venerate centuries-old statue after three-year pandemic hiatus.

The annual procession venerating the Black Nazarene, a centuries-old black statue of Jesus Christ, resumed in Manila, Philippines after a three-year suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Many of the devotees, who were mostly barefoot and wore maroon shirts imprinted with the image of the Black Nazarene, prayed for peace in the Middle East where tens of thousands of Filipinos work.
Security was heightened during the procession due to recent bombings in the southern Philippines, with thousands of police and plainclothes officers deployed, drone surveillance, and commandos positioned on rooftops along the route.
Two Filipino workers were killed in the recent Hamas attack in southern Israel, underscoring the threats faced by foreign workers in the Middle East.
For the first time, the Black Nazarene statue was encased in glass to protect it from damage as the crowd pressed around the slow-moving carriage.