Meanwhile: Fasting on beer; a rare glimpse of a crucifix

A man from Ohio is adopting a rather unusual Lenten fast: he will eat nothing and drink only beer. Del Hall, a marathon-running US Army veteran, discovered that 17th-century monks in the German town of Einbeck invented a special dark beer, high in alcohol, to help them through times of extreme fasting. This became known as Bock, a corruption of the town’s name. Other monks, wanting an even stronger beer, developed Doppelbock, also known as “liquid bread” – like a German Guinness. There is an apocryphal story that the monks, seeking papal approval for their brew, took samples of Doppelbock to Rome. It spoiled during the journey and the Pope disliked it so strongly he approved it as a Lenten penance. Hall plans to drink water too, and will consult his doctor regularly during his penance.

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The faithful of Petoskey, Michigan, have been granted a rare glimpse of a local sacred image. At the bottom of Lake Michigan lies an 11ft marble crucifix. It is normally invisible, covered by thick ice and inaccessible because of weather conditions; but now, for the first time since 2015, a hole has been cut in the ice. The cross was made in 1956 to commemorate those who died by drowning.