(ANSA) - ROMA, 28 MAR - epaselect epa11247796 A Catholic
penitent leans on steel bars for prayers outside the Cathedral
of San Fernando to mark Maundy Thursday in San Fernando City,
Pampanga province, Philippines 28 March 2024. While the Catholic
church and government health officials have for years urged
devotees to refrain from self-inflicted pain during the Lent
season, practices of flagellation and painful depictions of the
suffering of Jesus Christ to express faith and penance have
become traditions that are hard to break in Catholic communities
all over the country. EPA/ROLEX DELA PENA (ANSA).