lessons, the recitation of prayers, and then the blessing of the new vestments. As a sign of modesty and reverence, a curtain is raised to shield the statue from public view as the male attendants called Hijos change its vestments, and then it is dropped once the actual changing is complete. The old vestments are folded and presented to the faithful, who queue to kiss and touch these in the belief these bear the image's miraculous properties. The rite of vesting is officiated five times a year in preparation for major religious occasions, since 2022 a few of the vesting day rites are also livestreamed online. Pontifical approbations Pope Innocent X approved veneration of the image in 1650 as a sacramental, and authorised the establishment of the Confraternity of the Most Holy Jesus Nazarene (Spanish: Cofradía de Nuestro Santo Jesús Nazareno). For most of the Spanish Era, indigenous Filipinos were barred from Holy Orders, while confraternities were groups of laymen and thus an open option for religious life. Pope Pius VII granted the image his Apostolic Blessing in 1880, which granted a plenary indulgence to those who piously pray before the Christological image. Pope John Paul II issued a Pontifical decree “Qui Loco Petri” which raised the shrine to the status of Minor Basilica on 11 December 1988. The decree was signed by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Agostino Casaroli. Pious cult and veneration Veneration of the Black Nazarene is rooted among Filipinos who strongly identify with the passion and suffering of Christ the image depicts. Many devotees of the Black Nazarene relate their poverty and daily struggles to the Passion of Christ. Some believers practice walking in barefoot as a form of piety while others make an effort to ride on the carriage in the belief of obtaining graces from the devotional image. Prior to the Second Vatican Council, procession of the image was relatively solemn and peaceful. The rowdy and massive nature of the procession began in the 1960s as the population grew and greater hype surrounded the image. While the actual patron saint of the basilica is John the Baptist (making its feast day 24 June, concurrent with the secular Manila Day), the Black Nazarene and its Traslación are more popular. At the end of each Mass said in the basilica, devotees pay homage to the image by clapping their hands. In addition to the novena,