The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has issued guidelines on the observance of Palm Sunday on April 5 in the wake of the corona virus (COVID-19) pandemic.
“On Palm Sunday, priests can go around the streets to bless the palms (palaspas) carried by the faithful who wait in their homes, the CBCP said in a circular.
“The faithful who will be following the celebration online or on TV may hold their palm branches while the priest passes along and recites the prayer of blessing of palms. There is no need for Holy Water to bless the palm branches,” the CBCP said.
After the celebration of the holy mass, the CBCP recommended for priests to go around the streets to bless the palm fronds of the faithful who wait in front of their homes without using holy water, which “might cause commotion,” the bishops said.
“The priest makes the sign of the cross as he passes through the streets as the lector reads the Passion of Christ narrative along the way,” said the CBCP as it suggested the use of sound system to make people aware that the priest is passing by.
“All of these must be done with only two to three ministers to accompany the priests. This is to avoid gathering of people,” the CBCP said in a news post.
Palm Sunday, which falls on April 5, marks the start of the Holy Week. It commemorates Jesus’ triumphant entry to Jerusalem astride a donkey where
He was welcomed by a jubilant crowd carrying palm fronds and shouting “Hosanna!”
Traditional Church rites include processions and the blessing of palms which are brought home by the faithful and displayed in altars at home. These are brought to the church a year later to be burned for use on Ash Wednesday.
Several bishops across the country have suspended public masses and other Holy Week activities as they urged the faithful to just follow the event online and through television. (Christina Hermoso)