Ashes

Pope Francis led the world's 1.3 billion Roman Catholics into Lent on Ash Wednesday, as they scaled back a centuries-old ritual to help stem the spread of the coronavirus.

Francis, who normally marks the start of the penitential season with an outdoor procession between two ancient churches in Rome, instead said a Mass for about 120 people in St. Peter's Basilica.

Brazil's devastated National Museum is broke and cannot afford storage for artifacts rescued from the ashes of the gutted building, its director said May 7.