By Jay Ereno MANILA (Reuters) -Hundreds of thousands of barefoot devotees joined an annual procession in the Philippines on Thursday of a centuries-old statue of Jesus Christ in one of the world's grandest displays of Catholic devotion and expression of faith.

January 9 marks the closing procession of the Black Nazarene festivities. For three days, Filipino Catholics venerate a statue of Christ brought from Mexico in the 16th century, regarded as miraculous.

Thousands of devotees filled the streets for an annual Catholic procession in the Philippines. Religious locals gathered around the Quiapo Church in the capital city Manila, where the image of the Black Nazarene depicting Jesus Christ carrying a cross was set to arrive during the religious festival on January 9.