The Catholic Church in the Philippines is appealing to followers not to crucify themselves during Easter Holy Week.
Many Filipino people whip themselves with blades, and some are nailed to crosses to repent for their sins. But the church says it does not support the Lent ritual of people nailing themselves to a cross.
Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines secretary-general Monsignor Hernando Coronel said: "We are in fact discouraging those practices. They are a misrepresentation of our Catholic faith".
According to the Philippine Star, he told the Catholic station Radio Veritas the ritual, meant to commemorate the suffering and death of Christ, has become a tourist attraction and not a genuine act of penance.
"Tourists normally flock to places where people have themselves crucified during Holy Week," he said.
Monsignr Coronel advises those who want to repent for their sins to go to a priest and confess.
AP