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Catholic church reverts to ashes on forehead on Ash Wednesday

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ABS-CBN News

<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1947449" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><p>MANILA <strong>(UDPATE)</strong> - The Catholic church will revert to the imposition of ashes on the forehead of the faithful this Ash Wednesday, March 2, an official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said Monday.</p><p>Fr. Jerome Secillano, executive secretary of the CBCP Public Affairs Committee, said that while sprinkling of dry ashes on the crown or top of the head, which was adopted in 2020 and 2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, will remain an option, the traditional imposition of wet ashes with the sign of the cross on the forehead is already allowed this year.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/18/20/cbcps-exec-suggests-sprinkling-of-dry-ashes-instead-of-marking-foreheads-amid-covid-19-outbreak">CBCP&#x27;s exec suggests sprinkling of dry ashes instead of marking foreheads amid COVID-19 outbreak</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/02/17/21/filipinos-mark-ash-wednesday-with-prayers-for-pandemic-to-end">Filipinos mark Ash Wednesday with prayers for pandemic to end</a></li></ul><p>Ash Wednesday marks the start of the Lent, one of the most solemn periods in the Catholic Church and for other Christian denominations as it remembers the passion and death of Jesus Christ.</p><p>The 40-day season is marked by prayer, fasting, and abstinence as preparations for the great feast of Easter, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.</p><p>Speaking on ABS-CBN’s TeleRadyo, Secillano said churches in areas under COVID-19 Alert Level 1 will also open to parishioners at 100 percent capacity, as allowed by the inter-agency task force.</p><p>“Kinakailangan pa rin naman ang simbahan magpatupad ng health protocol. Kaya ang pagsusuot ng face mask, nandun pa rin yan. Yung pagsa-sanitize ng mga upuan, ginagawa pa rin yan. Yung paghuhugas ng kamay, ginagawa rin yan,” he said.</p><p>“And then yung ibang practices na may contact, katulad ng hawakan ng kamay, ‘yung pag-dip ng kamay sa holy water, wala po muna yun,” he added. </p><p>“At siyempre, pagpunas-punas sa mga imahen, paghalik-halik sa mga imahen, definitely hindi pa rin natin gagawın yun. Andun pa kasi yung threat ng coronavirus.”</p><p>(The church will continue to implement health protocols. So, wearing of face masks, sanitizing the seats, and washing of hands will remain. And then, other practices that involve contact, such as holding each other’s hands and dipping of hands in the holy water are not allowed. Of course, touching and kissing religious statues are definitely not allowed. Because, the threat of the coronavirus is still present.) </p><div><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="665" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fcbcpnews%2Fposts%2F5183933984992771&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" width="500"></iframe></div><p>Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a separate TeleRadyo interview Monday night that all those going inside churches should be vaccinated against COVID-19.</p><p>&quot;And the churches have that responsibility also of providing adequate ventilation. Keep open your doors. At yung mga bentilador, yung tutok, palabas,&quot; she said.</p><p>(Fans should face outwards.)</p><p>Metro Manila and 38 other areas in the country are shifting to the loosest of the five COVID-19 levels beginning Tuesday, March 1, more than two years since the government started imposing restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus.</p><p>The country has seen a further decline in new infections over the past several days after the omicron-variant triggered a surge from late December until January.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/28/22/daily-covid-cases-fall-below-1000-for-first-time-this-year">Philippines posts 951 new COVID-19 cases, lowest so far this year</a></li></ul><p>Around 80 percent of the Philippine population are Roman Catholics.</p>

The Catholic church will revert to the imposition of ashes on the forehead of the faithful this Ash Wednesday, March 2, the CBCP said.