http://www.nbc17.com/news/8703929/detail.html

RALEIGH, N.C. -- An annual Good Friday observance grew into a visible referendum on immigrant rights, as participants in the Pilgrimage for Justice and Peace called for changes to U.S. laws to make it easier for Latino immigrants to settle in the country.

The pilgrimage usually attracts a few dozen people for an observation of Jesus' last steps before his crucifixion. But as the procession snaked its way through downtown Raleigh to the State Capitol, the crowd grew to a couple hundred.

"One of the things about this occasion is that we are making a direct link between the sufferings of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and the sufferings of his children today," said Bishop Michael B. Curry, of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina. "Jesus calls us to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to end the suffering."

The annual event, which is conducted by includes several religious and social justice organizations, covers several social issues, but the major focus Friday was immigration reform.

"A fundamental concern for a lot of the people here is a concern that this nation will continue to be a nation that, as it says on the Statue of Liberty, 'Bring me your tired, your hungry, your huddled masses yearning to be free,'" Curry said.

Alex Charns, of Durham, said many members of his church are Latino immigrants.

"My family came from Poland, and things have changed as far as welcoming immigrants. People who work here should have the same rights as all Americans," Charns said.

Others who participated in the pilgrimage were there just for the religious observation.

"The Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace, which culminates in the way of the cross, fulfils in part Christ's injunction to love the whole world and everyone in it," said Sister Kitty Bethay, of Catholic Social Ministries.

"This is not just something that's in stained glass. It's something that is relevant to our lives every day, and this is how we make it relevant," Charns said.