South China Sea: Philippines coastguard seeks divine intervention with appeal to Virgin Mary

Dozens of devotees gathered at a major Catholic cathedral outside Manila on Sunday, praying for divine intervention – with the help of a 17th century icon of the Virgin Mary – to address China’s aggression in the West Philippine Sea, Manila’s name for the parts of the South China Sea it claims.

The prayer service at the International Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage in Antipolo city came amid rising tensions between the Philippines and China in the disputed waters. In recent months, these confrontations have even led to a Filipino sailor losing a thumb.

To bolster their maritime defence, he said the coastguard had asked the cathedral to create two replicas of the revered Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buen Viaje, a 398-year-old brown Madonna carving from Mexico that once protected Spanish galleons on the perilous Manila-Acapulco trade route centuries ago.

The Catholic Church has a long history of invoking the Virgin Mary during times of crisis, Priest Robert Reyes told This Week in Asia.