In the evening of Saturday, May 4, the Holy Light will be brought from Jerusalem by Father Archimandrite Teofil Anăstăsoaie, the Superior of the Settlements of the Romanian Patriarchate at the Holy Places.
The Holy Light will be brought to Romania
The Holy Light will be offered to the delegates of the dioceses of the Romanian Patriarchate, who will be present at “Henri Coandă” International Airport.
After that, the diocesan centers, through the deanships, will distribute the Holy Light to each parish under their jurisdiction.
The Holy Light will be transported, by means of a delegate of the Metropolis of Moldova and Bucovina, from Bucharest to Chisinau, where it will be offered to the parishes of the Metropolis of Bessarabia.
Around 19.00, the Holy Light will be received at the Patriarchal Cathedral by His Beatitude Father Patriarch Daniel.
The Archbishop of Tomis announced that this year too he will come with the Holy Light from the sea and bring it to the Cathedral Park to be distributed to the faithful.
His Holiness Theodosius, the Archbishop of Tomis, declared that this year too he will bring the Holy Light from the sea and start in a procession to the Cathedral Park, where it will be distributed to the faithful.
“Every year, the Resurrection of the Lord is like a new celebration because the holidays renew our nature, our state of mind. Without holidays we would become obsolete. And this year the Light from Jerusalem comes to us. It will also be brought here, in every diocese. And, behold, we will come with the Light on the sea, as every year in recent years, and we will bring it to the Cathedral Park and there we will distribute the Light so that when we give the blessing for the morning Resurrection service, it will be 12 o’clock at night or 00.00, then we will actually start singing Christ is Risen!”, the Archbishop of Tomis conveyed.
Way of the Cross from Good Friday to Jerusalem
Wooden crosses were carried above a sparse crowd on the Via Dolorosa. The traditional Way of the Cross on Good Friday was attended by only a few hundred Greeks, Ethiopians and Slavs, far from the tens of thousands of pilgrims who usually make the journey to witness the annual miracle of the Holy Fire that heralds Christ’s Resurrection on Saturday Big.
This year, the war and recent tensions with Iran have discouraged most of the pilgrims.
Father Issa Musleh, spokesman for the Eastern Jerusalem Christian Orthodox Church, told Anadolu Agency that “Holy Week celebrations were limited to religious rituals as a protest by Christians to what is happening in Gaza.”
“We, as Christians, stand in solidarity with Gaza,” Musleh said.
Each year, the light was transferred from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to the churches in the region in a festive atmosphere. However, Musleh says the transfer of light from the church will take place this year without festivities. “We will only receive the light at the doors of churches in Jordan and all over Palestine and other countries,” Musleh said, adding that “there are no participants from the West Bank because they could not get Israeli permits.”
“This year, Jerusalem is a sad city because of the absence of its people, pilgrims and visitors,” he added.
