The procession typically draws massive numbers of largely poor Catholics who pray for the sick and a better life. Gaspar Espinocilla, a 56-year-old Manila city employee and a devotee of Jesus ...

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Some 1.8 million mostly barefoot Catholic worshippers marched Thursday in an annual procession in the Philippines that venerates a centuries-old black statue of Jesus.

Gaspar Espinocilla, a 56-year-old Manila city employee and a devotee of Jesus Nazareno for the last 20 years, said he is praying for his family, including his sister who has ovarian cancer.

The procession marks the feast of Jesus Nazareno and is a major annual Catholic event in Asia. The image was previously called the Black Nazarene, but church officials appealed for a change ...

PHOTOS: Filipino Catholics pray for good health and peace in huge procession venerating Jesus statue Gaspar Espinocilla, a 56-year-old Manila city employee and a devotee of Jesus Nazareno for the ...