Philippines celebrates Ash Wednesday as Covid rules lift

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A Catholic priest (R) applies ash to a woman's forehead on the observance of Ash Wednesday at a church ground in Manila on March 2, 2022.

AFP / Ted Aljibe

 

MANILA, Philippines — Thousands of Filipinos flocked to churches to observe Ash Wednesday, with Catholic priests and nuns daubing their foreheads with a cross for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. 

 

Most COVID-19 restrictions were scrapped this week after a sharp drop in infections and increased vaccinations, allowing churches to pack their pews and physical contact to resume.

 

Devotees wearing masks began lining up outside Baclaran Church in Manila before dawn to receive the ash cross on their foreheads -- a ritual that signals the beginning of Lent.

 

Full Story: https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/03/02/2164436/philippines-celebrates-ash-wednesday-covid-rules-lift

 

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