MANILA, Philippines (AP) — At least 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.

The statue of Jesus carrying the cross was brought to the Philippines from Mexico on a galleon in 1606 by Spanish missionaries. The ship that carried it caught fire, but the charred statue ...

Renato Reyes, a garbage scavenger who has been a Jesus Nazareno devotee for more than three decades, said he prays for a better life for his family, for the Philippines to be free from calamities ...

The procession lasts several hours and covers more than 3 miles in Manila. The statue of Jesus carrying the cross was brought to the Philippines from Mexico in 1606 by Spanish missionaries.

Its former name, the Black Nazarene, was changed after church officials said that was not founded in history and evoked a racial slur. The procession lasts several hours and covers more than 3 miles ...

Get any of our free daily email newsletters — news headlines ... Philippines that venerates a centuries-old black statue of Jesus. Some said they prayed for good health for their families ...

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 ...

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — At least 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.