On Friday, over a hundred people watched on as 10 devotees were nailed to wooden crosses.

A Filipino villager has been nailed to a wooden cross for the 35th time to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a brutal Good Friday tradition he said he would devote to pray for peace in Ukraine, Gaza and the disputed South China Sea.

On Friday, over a hundred people watched on as 10 devotees were nailed to wooden crosses, among them Ruben Enaje, a 63-year-old carpenter and sign painter. The real-life crucifixions have become an annual religious spectacle that draws tourists in three rural communities in Pampanga province, north of Manila.

The gory ritual resumed last year after a three-year pause due to the coronavirus pandemic. It has turned Enaje into a village celebrity for his role as the “Christ” in the Lenten reenactment of the Way of the Cross.

Ahead of the crucifixions, Enaje told The Associated Press by telephone Thursday night that he has considered ending his annual religious penitence due to his age, but said he could not turn down requests from villagers for him to pray for sick relatives and all other kinds of maladies.

  • kromem@lemmy.worldEnglish
    817·
    9 months ago

    To everyone saying “it isn’t working” - you’re reading an article spreading the message of a Filipino villager in US media.

    It’s not like that happens all that often.

    So yes, it is working pretty well actually.

    Not my choice for PR stunt, but to each their own.

    • pop@lemmy.mlEnglish
      42·
      9 months ago

      What are you even talking about? His name on US media is all it takes for “world peace”? In what fucking sense of the word? What part is working?

      the part where he did something stupid for attention? sure… okay… we totally needed that

    • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.worldEnglish
      11·
      9 months ago

      We really need more people to learn the difference between good attention and bad attention. That is how we get morons blocking ambulances in London, throwing food at paintings, and people getting crucified.

      Be the change you want to see in the world doesn’t mean do performative stunts for likes, clicks, and views. It means you do the hard work of fixing issues.