Thousands of Orthodox Christians celebrate “Holy Fire” in Jerusalem

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Before the ceremony, there were tensions over the number of participants allowed. Israel had announced that it would only allow 1,800 believers into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Orthodox Church officials spoke of “unreasonable restrictions on the Israeli police”.

The number of believers was also limited in previous years after 45 people died in a stampede at a Jewish festival in 2021.

Security forces erected barriers in Jerusalem on Saturday. The newspaper “Times of Israel” reported that in the morning the police turned away most of the worshipers at the gates of the old city.

The Jerusalem Church was illuminated by a sea of ​​candles during the traditional ceremony, which is always held on the Saturday before the start of Orthodox Easter. The fire will then be flown to communities around the world, including Russia and Ukraine.

Followers of the Eastern Orthodox Churches believe that the sacred fire at the tomb of Jesus miraculously ignites on its own and represents the power of the Resurrection. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher stands on the spot where, according to Christian tradition, Jesus was buried and rose again.

Easter, the Jewish holiday of Pesach and the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan coincided this year. After violent clashes between Israeli police and Palestinians on the Temple Mount last week, the security situation in the region had further deteriorated. Rockets were fired at Israel on the borders of the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Syria. The country responded with counterattacks. Palestinians also carried out several deadly attacks on civilians. However, the past few days have been relatively quiet.

(SDA)

Source: Blick