Contrary to many other dioceses, the Bishop of Willemstad has maintained the tradition of palm ash crosses on the foreheads of Roman Catholic believers today on Ash Wednesday.
Pope Francis had earlier announced that this year, ashes would instead be strewn over churchgoers due to coronavirus COVID-19 precautions. The decision to nevertheless continue this custom in the Dutch Caribbean was made after consultations with local authorities, but recipients must wear a face mask. The priest will utter the related sentence “from dust to dust” – normally spoken before applying every cross – only once at the beginning, while those who get one may not answer with the usual “Amen.”
