Catholics Whip And Crucify Themselves As They Seek Forgiveness In Ritual. Graphic (Photos)

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These are the Catholics in Philippines who perform gruesome religious rituals to atone for their sins by whipping their backs until they bleed before then nailing themselves to crosses. Crowds of half-naked devotees took to the streets of Mandaluyong, east of Manila, on Thursday to perform acts of self-inflicted pain like flagellation and re-enactments of Christ's crucifixion in a show of faith.

The gory ritual is a tradition in small towns of the the primarily Catholic nation before Easter as a form of worship believed to cleanse the sins of the devotees, cure illnesses and even grant wishes.

Despite the Catholic Church strongly condemning the practice, large crowds of devotees and spectators including children could be seen lining the sun-drenched streets to watch the extreme form of worship.

A pair of masked devotes were seen sprawled on the road with bloody gashes on their back after being whipped by chains and bamboo sticks.

Other worshipers tied rope around their arms and legs then lacerated their backs with razorblades, before marching through sweltering 35 degree heat to pray at makeshift altars.

Ritual crucifixions are the most extreme part of the ceremony, and are carried out on the belief Christ died for the salvation of humanity.

The nails impale the devotees hands and feet. They spend a few minutes on the cross before they are taken down to have their bloody wounds treated.