Meet Ruben Enaje: The man who has been nailed to the cross annually for 32 years to re-enact Jesus Christ’s crucifixion
Ruben Enaje is a Philippine man who has been nailed to a cross every Easter for
the past 32 years in a Good Friday re-enactment of Jesus Christ’s
crucifixion who says he no longer feels any pain from his wounds.
The 58 year old actor again portrayed Christ on Friday in the
traditional religious rite in Cutud village, about 76 km (47 miles) from
the capital Manila. “In the past, I went home injured and limping, but
this year I feel so great,” Enaje said after the ritual held under a
scorching sun.
He said he believed his strong Catholic faith helped him avoid pain.
“I feel like he is telling me ‘go ahead, keep it up’,” he said,
referring to God. Easter is a festival marking the crucifixion and
resurrection of Christ.
About 80 percent of the 105 million people in the Philippines, a
former Spanish colony, are Catholic. Enaje said he felt strong enough to
perform in two or three more crucifixions, until he turns 60. Enaje
was among three devotees nailed to wooden crosses in the village on
Friday, including a woman taking part for the seventh time.
Actors wearing Roman soldier costumes attached the devotees to
crosses by hammering two-inch nails soaked in alcohol through their
hands and feet and hoisted them up in a field packed with domestic and
foreign tourists.
The Catholic Church in the Philippines tolerates the ritual but says
it does not support such gory displays of devotion, describing them as a
“misinterpretation of faith”. Many Catholics in the Philippines perform
religious acts of penance during the Holy Week at Easter as a form of
worship and supplication. Some believe penance cleanses sins, cures
illnesses and even leads to wishes coming true.
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