(RNS) — Each week Religion News Service presents a gallery of photos of religious expression around the world. This week’s photo selection includes the installment of a new Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch, Andean Pachamama rituals in Bolivia, the start of Lent and more.
The new head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Porfirije, performs the liturgy ceremony in Congregational Church, in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. Patriarch Porfirije replaces Patriarch Irinej, who died in November 2020 from COVID-19 complications. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Serbian Orthodox Church bishops arrive at the St. Sava Temple before a closed session in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021. The Serbian Orthodox Church gathered in closed sessions to pick a new Patriarch, following the death of Irinej. Patriarch Irinej died last year of COVID-19, following the outbreak of the virus among church officials in Belgrade. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
The new head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Porfirije, seated center, performs the liturgy in Belgrade’s Congregational Church, Serbia, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Spiritual guides prepare an offering to burn at a “Martes de Challa,” or Challa Tuesday celebration, in which devotees bury food, throw candies, burn incense, decorate their houses, businesses, cars, all in a show of gratitude to Pachamama or Mother Earth, in La Paz, Bolivia, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021. The Andean ritual coincides with the Christian holiday Shrove Tuesday, culminating with Carnival festivities to prepare for the Lenten season which begins Ash Wednesday, the following day. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
People spray the ground with beer as they celebrate “Martes de Challa,” or Challa Tuesday, in which devotees bury food, throw candies, burn incense, decorate their houses, businesses, cars, all in a show of gratitude to Pachamama or Mother Earth, in La Paz, Bolivia, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021. The Andean ritual coincides with the Christian holiday Shrove Tuesday, culminating with Carnival festivities to prepare for the Lenten season which begins Ash Wednesday, the following day. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron of Detroit sprinkles ashes on Richard Lewandowski at the St. Aloysius Parish, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021, in Detroit. The ashes, a symbol of penance, are made from palm leaves used in last year’s Palm Sunday liturgy. The sprinkling, because of the pandemic, is a departure from the usual practice of making the sign of the cross on the forehead and follows an ancient method still common in parts of the world today. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
People seeking shelter from below freezing temperatures rest inside a church warming center, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
The Rev. John Szatkowski, left, and Deacon Bob Bonomi sweep water out of St. Paul The Apostle Church in Richardson, Texas, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. Father Szatkowski and his staff found the flooding, from a broken water line, as they prepared for Ash Wednesday services. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Newlyweds walk under a saber arch in the 18th annual mass wedding ceremony organized by a local radio station, in Managua, Nicaragua, Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021. Around 400 couples said “I do” in the Valentine’s Day tradition. (AP Photo/Diana Ulloa)
Couples wear masks as they hold hands while renewing their marriage vows at Christ the King Roman Catholic Church in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
