Pampanga site secured where Briton, 11 others to be crucified

Some 300 law enforcers were deployed Friday to secure San Pedro village, Cutud in San Fernando, Pampanga where tens of thousands of people are expected to watch several devotees, including a Briton, be crucified in imitation of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice. British national Dominic Diamond will join 11 local devotees who will be crucified on Good Friday. The Briton said he hopes that through his crucifixion, he will find his lost faith in God. Organizers of "Kalbaryo 2006" said they expect around 30,000 spectators to watch the crucifixion including, three ambassadors. Members of the Philippine National Police-Traffic Management Office were also assigned at the area to manage the flow of traffic. The influential Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, however, the Catholic Church does not approve flagellation and crucifixion as a form of penance during the Holy Week. The CBCP cautioned that such practices are rooted on animism. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines said it does not approve of flagellation and crucifixion as a form of penance during the Holy Week. It cautioned that such practices are based on animism. CBCP spokesman Msgr. Pedro Quitorio III said those who have themselves crucified misunderstood the meaning of the most important season in Christianity. "They think that when they do that they will receive blessings for the coming year. That is not a Christian idea. If you have Christ in you, that’s enough blessing. You don’t need to duplicate what He did on the cross," Quitorio said. Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz said the Catholic Church does not require its followers to inflict pain on themselves to display sacrifice. "It is too much because God already did that for us," Cruz said, adding that such practice is an "exaggeration" of how people should observe the season. -GMANews.TV