The Holy Fire from Jerusalem will be delivered to Moscow on May 1 for the Patriarchal Easter night service. This was reported on April 20 on the website of the Fund of St. Andrew the First-Called.
“The Fund of St. Andrew the First-Called in 2003 revived the tradition of bringing the Holy Fire to the Russian Orthodox Church. In 2021, for the nineteenth time, the Fund of St. Andrew the First-Called will deliver the Holy Fire to Moscow on Holy Saturday for the Patriarchal Easter service in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, ”the message says.
This year, the bringing of the Holy Fire was organized in unprecedented conditions: due to the spread of the coronavirus, borders were closed, attendance at divine services was limited, the fund noted.
In accordance with the decisions of the Israeli authorities, the bishop of the Jerusalem Orthodox Church brought the Holy Fire to the Jaffa gate of the Old City, where representatives of diplomatic missions of 10 states were awaiting him. An employee of the Russian embassy delivered the Holy Fire aboard a plane at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, where representatives of the Andrew the First-Called Foundation were awaiting him.
The temples, in which it will be possible to obtain a particle of the Holy Fire, will be announced additionally, added to the fund.
The Holy Fire is carried out of the Holy Sepulcher at a special service held annually on Great Saturday on the eve of Orthodox Easter in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Jerusalem. The extermination of fire symbolizes the exit from the Tomb of the risen Jesus Christ.
Last year, the ceremony of consecrating the Holy Fire for the first time in 10 centuries took place without the presence of believers. The particles of fire were also transferred, first to the clergy, and then to the embassy staff, who delivered them to the delegations directly on the planes.