GRAPHIC: Catholics WHIP THEMSELVES with Razor blades Until Bloody to 'Atone'

Filipino Catholics marched through the streets whipping themselves and lacerating their backs with razorblades in a bloody religious ritual to atone for their sins.



Gruesome footage from the sleepy town of Pakil, about 70km east of Manila, shows masked devotees performing the acts of self-inflicted pain to mark the Holy Week.



They struck their backs with wooden rods, one for each station of the cross as depicted in Catholic tradition of Jesus' walk to the hill of Golgotha where he was crucified.



The gory scenes are traditional in small towns of the primarily Catholic nation before Easter as a form of worship believed to cleanse sins, cure illness, and grant wishes.



Despite its condemnation from the Catholic Church, large crowds of spectators including children lined the sweltering streets to behold the extreme show of faith.



Other flagellants sometimes crucify themselves at the end of the march, either by tying themselves to crosses or in extreme cases actually nailing themselves to them.