Catholic devotees hear Mass
outside the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo,
Manila on Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022. As pandemic restrictions ease,
the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines had allowed
the smearing of ashes on the forehead of the faithful on Ash
Wednesday, March 2, a practice which was suspended for two
years because of Covid-19. PHOTO BY MIKE ALQUINTO