Pope Francis Marks Ash Wednesday Mask-Free as Some Italian Towns Cancel Services Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

(VATICAN CITY) — Pope Francis celebrated the Ash Wednesday ritual kicking off the Catholic Church’s Lenten season in traditional fashion, while other Masses in northern Italy were canceled over fears of the new coronavirus. Francis and a long line of priests, bishops and cardinals processed through Rome’s Aventine hill into the 5th-century Santa Sabina basilica for the late-afternoon Mass. Neither the priests nor the faithful were wearing masks, and they all exchanged a sign of peace toward the end of the liturgy. But Rome has largely been spared Italy’s outbreak so far. Other Catholic countries took precautions. In the Philippines — Asia’s only majority Roman Catholic country — priests sprinkled ashes on the heads of the faithful rather than making the mark of the cross on their foreheads. “Wherever the ash is placed, on the forehead or on the head, the feeling is the same, it’s uplifting,” Editha Lorenzo, a 49-year-old mother of two wearing a face mask, told The Associated Press in Manila. At the Vatican, Francis held his general audience as usual in St. Peter’s Square and sent his prayers to victims of the virus and the medical personnel treating them. A handful of the thousands of people gathered wore face masks to protect against the virus, which originated in China and has infected thousands globally including more than 300 people in Italy. Francis kissed at least one child as he looped through the squar...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 onetime The Vatican Source Type: news