Closure of Christianity’s holiest church won’t stop Holy Fire – Russian archpriest

The centuries-old Easter rite at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre will go ahead, the Orthodox clergy say

The closure of Christianity’s holiest shrine in Jerusalem to pilgrims amid the escalating Middle East war is not expected to halt the traditional Holy Fire ceremony that marks the start of Orthodox Easter, a senior Russian cleric has said.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, revered by believers as the site of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, has been shut to the public and for open services due to the exchange of airstrikes between Israel and Iran. With Orthodox Easter falling on April 12 this year, the restrictions have raised concerns that centuries-old ceremonies could be canceled for the first time in modern history.

Speaking to RT on Friday, Archpriest Igor Vyzhanov cited information from the Moscow Patriarchate’s office in the Holy Land that liturgical life inside the church has been going despite the closure.

”The most important thing … is that services in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre are continuing,” he said. “The clergy of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem are conducting services in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre behind closed doors, meaning that prayer is taking place.”

The measures appear to affect only pilgrims and tourists, not the rite itself, Vyzhanov said. “Perhaps the patriarch of Jerusalem will, as he does every year, enter the church, and this miracle will occur.”

The Holy Fire ceremony, usually held on Holy Saturday on the eve of Orthodox Easter, sees the Patriarch of Jerusalem enter the small chapel over the traditional tomb of Christ and emerge with candles lit by a flame that believers regard as miraculous. The fire is then distributed to worshipers and is traditionally flown by special flights to Greece, Russia and other majority‑Orthodox countries – to launch Easter services there.

The Russian Orthodox Church has expressed hope that the closure will not disrupt the transfer of the Holy Fire, calling the continuation of prayer in the Sepulchre “the key thing” even in wartime conditions.