In a fiery homily at the fiesta Mass for the feast of the Black Nazarene, Bishop Rufino Sescon Jr. of the Diocese of Balanga called on politicians implicated in infrastructure corruption to resign.<\/p>\n
More than 9.6 million Catholics joined the annual feast of the Black Nazarene, one of Asia\u2019s biggest religious events, seeking miracles and hope on Jan. 9 in the Philippines. <\/p>\n
In a fiery homily at the fiesta Mass, Bishop Rufino Sescon Jr. of the Diocese of Balanga called on politicians implicated in infrastructure corruption to resign, declaring \u201cshame on you\u201d as devotees braved a record-breaking 30-hour procession through Manila\u2019s streets.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s Traslacion \u2014 the procession of the glass-encased image of Jesus Nazareno \u2014 lasted 30 hours, 50 minutes, and 1 second, from Jan. 9\u201310, the longest procession ever, according to Police Major Hazel Asilo, spokesperson of the National Capital Region Police Office. Last year\u2019s procession lasted 20 hours and 45 minutes and drew about 8.1 million devotees.<\/p>\n
Devotees crowd the streets of Quiapo district during the annual procession of the Black Nazarene in Manila, Philippines, on Jan. 9, 2026. | Credit: CBCP News<\/p>\n
\u201cI look at the Nazarene, who carried the cross for us to save us. That\u2019s how we should be \u2014 to be tough amid all situations and not to give up,\u201d Maria Christine Rey, a mother of four young children, told CNA.<\/p>\n
John Quilaquil, a college student, said the event was transformative despite his suffering from the flu, chronic joint pain, and a severe cold. \u201cThis traslacion [Spanish for \u2018movement\u2019] is very special to me. Aside from this being the longest traslacion in history, I have a lot of new experiences to cherish in my entire life,\u201d he said, describing how he pulled the carriage rope and climbed behind the cross.<\/p>\n
Political corruption condemned<\/p>\n
Sescon celebrated the Mass at the Quirino Grandstand before the procession began. In his homily, he called on officials implicated in flood-control projects and infrastructure corruption \u2014 purportedly costing taxpayers billions of dollars \u2014 to step down. Most projects were considered \u201cghosts\u201d; either they never materialized or were shoddily built.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn our country today, some people refuse to step down despite having done bad things or become deadweights or made the poor suffer, even though the country is drowning in floods,\u201d Sescon said. \u201cShame on you. Please step down for the people\u2019s sake.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bishop Rufino Sescon Jr. of the Diocese of Balanga preaches his homily during Mass at the annual feast of the Black Nazarene at Quirino Grandstand in Manila, Philippines, on Jan. 9, 2026. | Credit: CBCP News<\/p>\n
The Metro Manila police deployed over 18,000 personnel to ensure public safety amid the massive crowds. Authorities said four deaths were recorded during the event. Church officials clarified that the photojournalist who passed away on Jan. 9 while covering the event was not considered a casualty of the religious activity, citing a preexisting medical condition.<\/p>\n
Cardinal\u2019s message of humility<\/p>\n
Before Jan. 9, a nine-day novena of Masses offered by various bishops from the region was prayed. On Jan. 4, Manila Archbishop Cardinal Jose Advincula presided over the fifth novena Mass before traveling to Rome to participate in the first extraordinary consistory convened by Pope Leo XIV.<\/p>\n
In his homily, Advincula appealed to devotees\u2019 humility and selfless actions. \u201cLet us ask for this most precious grace \u2014 humility and a pure love and devotion that are not about ourselves, but about God,\u201d he said. \u201cTrue devotion is knowing how to give without needing recognition, knowing how to serve without looking to be praised, and knowing how to love without expecting anything in return.\u201d<\/p>\n
The annual religious procession marks the arrival in 1606 of a wooden statue from Mexico depicting a dark-skinned, suffering Christ. Augustinian Recollect missionaries landed ashore on May 31, bringing religious images including the Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno, showing Christ carrying his cross en route to crucifixion.<\/p>\n
The Black Nazarene is a life-size statue sculpted from mesquite wood now enshrined in the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno, popularly known as Quiapo Church. Over decades, it has become one of the most popular objects of devotion for Catholics in the archipelago nation of 116 million people.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough the years, the devotion has not waned in its intensity and passion \u2014 folk Catholics still experience a profound personal encounter with the image of Christ,\u201d said Father Benigno P. Beltran, a Divine Word missionary.<\/p>\n
The main attraction is \u201ctraslacion,\u201d a reenactment of the 1787 solemn transfer of the image from its original shrine in Bagumbayan, the present Rizal Park, to Quiapo Church.<\/p>\n
Devotees crowd the streets of Quiapo district during the annual procession of the Black Nazarene in Manila, Philippines, on Jan. 9, 2026. | Credit: Santosh Digal<\/p>\n
Millions of Filipinos joined the procession from Quirino Grandstand along the streets of the Quiapo district during the four-mile journey. Devotees walked barefoot, usually wearing maroon shirts, the color of the Nazarene image. The theme was \u201cHe Must Go Up, and I Also Go Down\u201d (cf. John 3:30).<\/p>\n
The image returned to its home on the morning of Jan. 10, concluding what is now officially the longest traslacion in the feast\u2019s history. The nine-day novena from Dec. 31 until Jan. 10 was attended by over 9,640,290 devotees, according to Church officials.<\/p>\n
Father Ramon Jade Licuanan, rector and parish priest of the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno, said the feast is a devotion born of suffering, faith, and hope. Many believe the image has miraculous power, making it a beacon of hope.<\/p>\n
Bishop Rufino Sescon Jr. of the Diocese of Balanga celebrates Mass at the annual feast of the Black Nazarene at Quirino Grandstand in Manila, Philippines, on Jan. 9, 2026. | Credit: CBCP News<\/p>\n
\u201cMany can relate to the image of the Nazarene: a God who is united in our suffering so that we can be saved from the hardship, pain, and fire that we go through in life,\u201d explained Father Daniel Franklin E. Pilario, CM, president of Adamson University, Manila.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome educated people look down on this religiosity as fanaticism or superstition. Others call it \u2018opium of the masses.\u2019 Listening to the people who are there, I call it everyday resistance,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
This article was originally published by EWTN NEWS.<\/p>\n