The "Black Christ" of Portobelo
Thousands of muggers, burglars and drug dealers, some crawling on their knees, have paraded through a Panamanian town, seeking forgiveness from Christ for their crimes. Wrongdoers lined up at the San Felipe church to pay homage to the Black Christ statue in an annual event to mark what many in Panama see as the patron saint's day of criminals. 
Up to 50,000 pilgrims, not all of them lawbreakers, made the 96 kilometre trek to the Atlantic coast city of Portobelo from Panama City on foot.
Some pilgrims crawled along the street, agonised and spattered with hot wax dripped onto their backs from burning candles as penitence.
"There is no pain, no pain," urged friends, fanning their backs.
The statue, also known as The Nazarene, is Panama's most revered religious figure.
"I came here to ask the Christ to pardon my sins. And to thank him for getting me out of jail on a few occasions," said one tattooed youth who gave his name only as Elisier.
"I robbed a Chinese store with a handgun. But now I have changed, with the Christ's help. I am a new man."
Reluctant to enter into the spirit of forgiveness, police set up checkpoints on roads into the city to see if they could nab wanted criminals and illegal immigrants among the crowds, but no arrests were reported.
Some screamed in ecstasy as they saw the Christ statue, carved from cocobolo, a rare type of tropical rosewood.
Not only miscreants worship the life-sized statue, draped in gold robes heavy with brocade and lace.
Supported by a walking frame, Jaime Torres came to offer thanks for what he said was the figure's intervention in helping him back on his feet after he was crippled.
"I walk with this now. Before, I couldn't. The Christ is miraculous. I am here to thank him," said Torres.
The origins of the festival and the statue are unclear. One legend has it that the figure was bound for Colombia when a storm forced ships carrying it back to shore. Only when the statue was left in Portobelo could the ships leave.
Another story says a cholera epidemic in Portobelo, which was looted by English pirates in 1668, ended as the idol was bought ashore after appearing bobbing about in the waves on October 21, 1658.
See: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=68210
