VATICAN CITY — The Vatican Congregation for
Divine Worship and the Sacraments asked priests to take special anti-COVID-19
precautions this year when distributing ashes on Ash Wednesday, Feb.
17, including sprinkling ashes on the top of people's heads rather than using
them to make a cross on people's foreheads.
The congregation's note on the "distribution of ashes
in time of pandemic" was published on the congregation's website
Jan. 12 and directs priests to say "the prayer for blessing the
ashes" and then sprinkle "the ashes with holy water, without saying
anything."
"Then he addresses all those present and only once says
the formula as it appears in the Roman Missal, applying it to all in general:
'Repent and believe in the Gospel' or 'Remember that you are dust and to dust
you shall return.' "
"The priest then cleanses his hands, puts on a face
mask and distributes the ashes to those who come to him or, if appropriate, he
goes to those who are standing in their places," it said. "The priest
takes the ashes and sprinkles them on the head of each one without saying
anything."
The usual practice would be to repeat the formula — "Repent
and believe in the Gospel" or "Remember that you are dust and to dust
you shall return" — to each person as the ashes are sprinkled on the top
of their head or rubbed onto their forehead.
Sprinkling ashes on the top of people's heads, rather than
marking foreheads with ashes, is the customary practice at
the Vatican and in Italy. Given the spread of the coronavirus, the
practice has the advantage of not requiring the priest to touch multiple
people.
The Latin, Italian, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese
versions of the note also specify that the mask should cover the priests'
"nose and mouth."