With the resumption of in-person church activities here in time for the Holy Week, Catholics were reminded on Tuesday that kissing images is still prohibited as part of health protocols against the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). Archbishop Jose Palma said while touching sacred icons in churches has been allowed even before the Lenten season, they discourage the churchgoers from kissing the crucifix and other religious images this Holy Week, citing advisories from the Department of Health (DOH) on the continuing presence of Covid-19. Part of the churches’ protocols, the Archdiocese of Cebu said, is the mandatory wearing of face masks, especially for those who would go to church in spite of illness. At the historical Basilica Minore del Sto. Nin~o, the Augustinian friars strictly implement the precautionary measures imposed by the archdiocesan officials. ‘Although here in the Basilica, we allow touching of the relics and images of saints and even opened the chapel for the Sr. Sto. Nin~o so that people can come near the sacred image, we don’t allow kissing,’ the Basilica’s spokesperson, Fr. John Ion Miranda, said. Thousands of faithful are expected to flock to over 170 parishes, mission stations, non-parochial, and national shrines in Cebu. The churches here, including the Basilica, will start with the Triduum (three days before Easter) on Wednesday, ‘Visita Iglesia’ (visiting churches) on Maundy Thursday, and the Station of the Cross on Good Friday. The week-long celebration will culminate on Easter Sunday with churches reenacting the encounter of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the resurrected Christ. The police force in Minglanilla will be in full alert status on Easter Sunday as thousands are expected to flock to the town for the ‘Sugat Kabanhawan’ (encounter after the Resurrection)
Source: Philippines News agency