Bloody Philippine passion play sees final performance of veteran 'Jesus'

Performers dressed as Roman soldiers push a man playing the role of Barabbas during a reenactment of the passion and sufferings of Jesus Christ on Maundy Thursday in Paete town, Laguna province, Philippines, April 17, 2025. -- AP Photo/Aaron Favila

SAN FERNANDO, Philippines (AFP): Scores of penitents whipped themselves bloody under a scorching Philippine sun while others were nailed to crosses in a polarising Good Friday tradition drawing the most extreme of Catholic devotees.

The macabre spectacle, officially frowned on by the Church, attracts thousands of Filipinos -- and a smattering of tourists -- each Easter weekend to sites across Asia's only majority Catholic nation.