Orthodox Christians round the world have marked the start of the 40 day Lenten period with the Ash Wednesday ceremony today.
This ceremony involves placing of ash on the forehead of congregants by Priests symbolizing dust from which they were created and to which they would return.
As the priest applies the ashes to a person's forehead, he speaks the words: "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
The ashes are typically made from burning special crosses which were made from palm wood used in the Palm Sunday celeberation from the previous year.
The Lenten Period according to the Conference of Bishops is a period of “fasting, prayer, almsgiving and reflection” for christian faithful all over the world.
During this period, Christians are encouraged to abstain from luxuries but to closely seek the will of Christ more faithfully.
They also seek forgiveness during this time as they prepare to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus, upon whom the Christian faith has its foundations at the end of the 40-day period.
This year’s ceremony has however been overshadowed by Pope Francis’s long stay in hospital as he continues to recover from a respiratory issue.
His illness has meant that the pope has already missed a number of Church events, including a March 5 service known as Ash Wednesday, which marks the start of a 40-day period leading to Easter Sunday and which he normally presides over.
The 88 year old Pontiff has experienced several bouts of ill health over the last two years and is prone to lung infections because he had pleurisy as a young adult and had part of one lung removed.
Catholic faithful all over the world continue to pray for his recovery while eagerly awaiting updates about his health.
President Donald Trump has said the U.S. has “total control” of the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran warns the key waterway will not reopen while Washing...
An overnight drone attack on Russia’s Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk killed a child, injured two people and damaged residential buildings and k...
Large parts of Libya’s fourth largest city have been left without power following a drone attack on a power station, the country's state energy comp...
One hundred years after the First World War and more than eighty years after the devastation of the Second World War gave rise to the United Nations, humanity once again finds itself living in an age of permanent crisis.
Iran said it was nearing a final pact with Oman defining new shipping lanes between them through the Strait of Hormuz but repeated that the U.S. must meet other conditions.
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has surpassed $1.1 billion at the global box office, becoming the highest-grossing film of the director’s career.
U.S. President Donald Trump has called for Iran to pay compensation for decades of deaths and damage, adding a new demand to peace talks as Tehran seeks compensation and sanctions relief before reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
A criminal court in Damascus has sentenced former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia for premeditated murder, torture, arbitrary detention and crimes against humanity, according to Syria’s state news agency SANA.
An overnight drone attack on Russia’s Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk killed a child, injured two people and damaged residential buildings and key port infrastructure, Russian officials and companies said on Wednesday.
Large parts of Libya’s fourth largest city have been left without power following a drone attack on a power station, the country's state energy company has said. The incident in Zawiya is the latest in a spate of strikes on energy infrastructure in the city since Saturday.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 12th of August, covering the latest developments.
A U.S. federal judge has halted a key part of President Donald Trump's effort to tighten rules around mail-in voting, dealing another legal setback to the administration's attempts to expand federal involvement in election oversight ahead of November's congressional elections.
Lebanon has become the first country in the Middle East to formally abolish the death penalty, marking a significant shift in the region's human rights landscape after years of debate over capital punishment.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment