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SAN PEDRO DE LA LAGUNA, Guatemala-Devout indigenous Guatemalans carried an effigy of Christ on the cross and pilgrims descended on Jerusalem as Christians worldwide marked Good Friday,the most sombre day of their calendar, commemorating the crucifixion of Christ. Indigenous Tzutujiles from this town some 170 kilometers (100 miles) west of the capital Guatemala City carried a heavy platform measuring 10 meters long (32 feet) and three meters (10 feet) wide on which stood a lifesize image of Jesus on the cross.The faithful carried the representation for five hours walking through the Solala municipality's streets, some of which were covered with flowers, sawdust, and pine branches, said Felix Gonzalez, a local town official.In the most extreme display of penance, a handful of devout Roman Catholics in the northern Philippines went through an agonizing Good Friday crucifixion re-enactment that has become a gruesome and increasingly controversial annual ritual.Neighbors costumed like Roman centurions dragged penitents through the village streets of San Pedro Cutud and toward a barren hill where three wooden crosses and a large crowd of at least 2,000 tourists awaited. Seven-inch (18-centimeter) metal nails were driven into both palms and feet as they lay spread-eagled over the crosses, which were then raised for about five minutes before being hauled down again and the nails pulled out.The process was repeated for a total of nearly 20 volunteers.Many more whipped their own backs until they ran blood.The Roman Catholic Church frowns on such extreme practices and the Filipino health department had warned penitents to take anti-tetanus shots first and to sterilize their equipment.In Jerusalem, psalms and incense filled the air, as thousands of Christian pilgrims from around the world prayed along the traditional route Jesus took to his crucifixion.The faithful, several of them bearing large wooden crosses, walked in procession along the cobblestoned streets of Jerusalem's Old City, following the Via Dolorosa, or Way of Suffering, where Jesus is said to have carried the cross on which he was later crucified by the Romans."This is where Jesus suffered, and we are following in his footsteps," said Flora Seguirante, a doctor from Toronto, Canada, her voice quivering with emotion. "I can't describe my joy at being here, at praying here."As the pilgrims intoned their psalms, their voices mingled across the stone facades of the Old City with the Muslim call to Friday prayers broadcast from numerous minarets.In Rome, under driving wind and rain, Pope Benedict XVI, 80, opted out of carrying a symbolic cross to conclude a traditional Good Friday procession.Benedict, who earlier celebrated mass at St Peter's Basilica, had already decided to take part in only the final three of the 14 Stations of the Cross commemorating the path Jesus took to his crucifixion.The last two years Benedict, who was elected in 2005, took part in the entire walk, carrying the cross at the first and last stations.The riots in Tibet cast a shadow over the Vatican's Easter observances this year, which have Chinese overtones to reflect Benedict's advocacy of greater freedom for China's tiny Catholic minority.The theme, more political than religious this year, is "Christian martyrs living in the 21st century."In the Spanish city of Seville, several hundred thousand people followed the colorful Holy Week processions when thousands of hooded penitents parade through the winding streets.The Spanish press meanwhile noted the "paradox"between the popularity of the processions and the declining numbers of churchgoers. Catholic priests in Colombia appealed for prayers on behalf of the hundreds held hostage by the Marxist-inspired rebel group the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), and said social justice was the way toward peace."We pray once more for the liberation of the kidnapped, for their families, so that they may return soon to the liberty," said a message by the Episcopal Conference that was read in most churches across the country.A handful of hostages have been released in recent months, but among those still in captivity are French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt, three Americans, and scores of Colombian military and police officers that the FARC want to trade for 500 imprisoned rebels.As in the days of Noah....
