Israeli police spokeswoman Luba Samri said tens of thousands of Orthodox Christians flocked to the church and surrounding streets in the annexed east Jerusalem's Old City for the ceremony, held under a heavy police presence.
The pilgrims, mostly from eastern Europe but also Christian Arabs living in the Holy Land, swiftly passed the light on from candle to candle as it emerged from the church.
The flame is also flown out to Greece and other Orthodox countries.
Believers hold that a divine fire from heaven ignites candles held by the Greek Orthodox patriarch, in an annual rite dating back to the 4th century symbolizing the resurrection of Christ.
The Holy Sepulchre church is built on the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected, and the event is the highlight of the Eastern Christian calendar.
Non-Orthodox Christians this year celebrated Easter a week earlier.
AFP
alarabiya.net
11/4/15
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Easter Holy Fire has been delivered to Moscow from Jerusalem....
ReplyDeleteA plane carrying a lantern with Holy Fire that emerged in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem earlier on Saturday on the eve of Orthodox Easter landed in Moscow's Vnukovo airport at 22.43 Moscow Time.
Head of the Russian delegation of the Apostle Andrew the First Called Foundation Vladimir Yakunin, Russian Railways (RZD) CEO, will deliver the lanterns to the Christ the Saviour Cathedral for Easter service officiated by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.
Besides, the Apostle Andrew the First Called Foundation will send the oil lamps with burning Holy Fire to 50 Russian cities and to Russian Orthodox churches in Italy. Earlier, Holy Fire had been airlifted to Serbia, Kosovo and Metohija (part of Kosovo).
The Foundation organised the 13th journey for delivering Holy Fire after the olden tradition was restored in new Russia in 1992 when a group of scientists, writers and publicists travelled from Jerusalem around Eastern European countries carrying Holy Fire.....http://tass.ru
11/4/15