Faith greater than fear: Procession held despite threats
Millions of Filipino Catholics processed through the streets of Manila today, carrying
with them a statue of Christ known as “the Black Nazarene”. The procession went ahead
despite warnings that terrorists might target the annual procession.
The government
did not have specific intelligence on a terrorist plot. Still, about 15,000 policemen,
backed by hundreds of army troops, secured the three-mile (five-kilometer) procession
route for the charred wooden Black Nazarene statue from seaside Rizal Park to a popular
church in Manila's congested Quiapo district.
“It's a choice between faith
and fear,” said Rodolfo Uy, 45, a polio victim whose 12-year-old son pushed him on
a wheelchair to see the Black Nazarene. “I got nervous last night when I heard the
news but my devotion was stronger.”
As many as 9 million people are expected
to take part in the devotions, led this year by newly appointed Manila Archbishop
Luis Antonio Tagle.