article_snippet.sent: In  Philippines, bare-footed men with bloodied backs lie on roads being beaten with sticks and whips in a divisive tradition thought to stem from 13th century Roman Catholics.
article_snippet.sent: Alarming display: A man uses a stick to whip a penitent in front of a chapel during a ritual in Angeles city, northern Philippines today .
article_snippet.sent: Filipino flagellants whip Filipino flagellants back along a street  in Mabalacat city, Pampanga Province, in the Philippines today .
article_snippet.sent: Flagellation is a form of religious discipline observed every lenten season by Catholic devotees in the Philippines .
article_snippet.sent: The Catholic Church has previously expressed disapproval of the gory ritual which takes place in the Philippines every year .
article_snippet.sent: A man with a hooded face swings a rope attached to chains while flagellating A man with a hooded face in a show of religious commitment in Manila .
highlights_snippet.sent: In Philippines, The week-long festival sees thousands of penitents beaten bloody on the streets as part of 13th century tradition .