The rain did not stop Manila priests from proceeding with their "penitential walk" on Thursday, Feb. 17.
The clergy walked from Manila Cathedral in Intramuros to the Gomburza Memorial Marker in Luneta and the Archdiocesan Shrine of Nuestra Senora de Guia.
The activity was preceeded with a Mass at the cathedral led by Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula.
The Mass commemorated the 150th anniversary of the three priests Mariano Gomez, José Burgos and Jacinto Zamora, collectively known as GomBurZa.
In his homily, Advincula asked priests and the religious to be "more faithful to the Gospel and their vocation."
"As Gomburza's advocacy and sacrifice has shown us social transformation is catalyzed by renewal in the church," he said.
"Let us transcend our selfish preferences. Let us sacrifice our personal conveniences. Let us be open to continuous conversion," added Advincula.
"This is why we are doing a penitential walk today for the sake of the nation and in solidarity with our suffering people. We humble ourselves and pray and hope that God wil hear from heaven, forgive our sins and heal our broken land," he said.
The “penitential walk” was also held to pray for the voters as they choose the country’s next leaders in the May 2022 polls.