Nazarene parade ‘dress rehearsal’ for papal visit

By: Tina G. Santos - 10 years ago

Millions of devotees are expected to flock the Quirino Grandstand on Friday for the Feast of the Black Nazarene, one of the country’s biggest annual religious processions. Video by Rem Zamora/Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines–The Black Nazarene procession on Friday could be a preview of what authorities should prepare for when Pope Francis arrives in the country next week, according to some Church officials.

“Yes, the Black Nazarene fiesta is a dress rehearsal for the papal visit especially the culminating Mass at the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta, Manila, on January 18,” said Fr. Anton Pascual, head of the papal visit subcommittee on media relations, in a text message to the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

“Perhaps 5 million attendees present is an understatement since Pope Francis’ popularity soared globally as iconic,” added Pascual, who is also the executive director of Caritas Manila.

However, Pascual was quick to add that the Black Nazarene attendees were different from the groups of people expected to participate during the papal events next week.

“The crowd in the papal visit is more of families, groups, organizations and communities. It’s a mixed crowd. On the other hand, the Black Nazarene crowd are zealous devotees, mostly males,” he said.

Pascual’s view was echoed by Msgr. Jose Clemente Ignacio, rector of the Quiapo Church.

“The papal events and the Black Nazarene procession have different crowds. When Pope John Paul II went here, the behavior of the crowd was also different,” Ignacio said.

“I couldn’t tell which is more orderly…different parishioners, different social classes. But the Black Nazarene devotees are [passionate], they’re more expressive of their faith,” he added.

Ignacio also said that compared to the Black Nazarene fiesta, there will be more marshals and volunteers to keep the papal events orderly.

But Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president, Lingayen Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas believes that the Black Nazarene fiesta cannot be considered a dry run to the papal events.

“No,” he said when asked if yesterday’s procession was a preview of things to happen next week when the Vicar of Christ arrives in the Philippines. Villegas, however, did not elaborate.

Tragedy struck this year’s feast of the Black Nazarene after a devotee escorting the image died of heart attack.

The incident reportedly happened about an hour after the procession started and was still in the vicinity of the Quirino Grandstand. Shortly before the midnight mass preceding the procession, there was a light drizzle but this failed to dampen the spirits of the devotees who stayed all throughout the Eucharistic celebration officiated by Ignacio.

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle delivered the homily. At 5:30 a.m., Tagle led the opening liturgy for the procession. An hour and a half of delay marred the start of the annual traslacion of the image of Christ as the pingga (lever) connecting the rope to the andas (carriage) failed to latch.

Despite the delay, Ignacio said they are happy with the turnout of the activities at the Quirino Grandstand. He noted that the transfer of the image from the Quirino Grandstand to the carriage was more orderly compared during the previous years when devotees troop to the stage to get hold of the image or the rope pulling the carriage even while the mass was ongoing.