Ashes that burned devotees tested

MANILA, Philippines — The Diocese of Caloocan has sent for laboratory testing the ashes that burned some parishioners at the San Roque Cathedral following the Ash Wednesday rite.

“Something strange happened in our Ash Wednesday masses at the San Roque Cathedral,” Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David said yesterday.

“Some mass-goers reported feeling a burning sensation on their foreheads immediately after the imposition of ashes on them. They washed it off in the parish toilets and noted what looked like reddish rashes or blisters on the very spots that had been wiped with ashes,” he added. 

David is not discounting the possibility that the incident was an act of sabotage.

“The fact that only some and not all the mass-goers seem to have been adversely affected by the ashes could only mean that only some specific containers contained the toxic substance, and not all of them. We have asked our staff to review our closed-circuit television footages for any possibility of sabotage. Could somebody have maliciously sneaked in to mix acid in the ashes?” he said. 

The bishop said samples of the ashes and holy water that were used in the rite were sent to a laboratory to determine what caused the rashes and blisters.

He said the volunteer doctor who attended to those injured told him that “it was indeed like skin burns caused by a chemical substance. He suggested having our ashes (mingled with holy water) tested in a nearby chemical laboratory. We’re still waiting for the result.”

David apologized to those injured and said they could go to the diocese’s office for treatment or reimbursement if they have sought treatment, provided they present a receipt.