Holy Light from Jerusalem arrives in the country on a special flight

The Romanian Patriarchate announced that the Holy Light from Jerusalem will be brought to Romania on Holy Saturday by a special flight, based on an agreement obtained with the support of the Romanian and Israeli authorities. According to Archimandrite Father Ioan Meiu, the Romanian delegation has obtained all the necessary approvals to bring the Holy Light to the country. "Thanks to the intervention of the Romanian Embassy in Israel, we received (...) a flight path from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, on Holy Saturday,” he said, quoted by the Basilica Agency. The special flight will transport the Holy Light from Tel Aviv to Bucharest, and it will subsequently be distributed throughout the country.

• Restricted Ceremony in Jerusalem

This year, the ceremony in Jerusalem will take place under special conditions, amid tensions in the Middle East. Access to the Old City area is restricted, and religious processions are limited. According to information published by The Times of Israel, religious gatherings are prohibited in the current security context. Under these conditions, only Theophilus III will descend into the Holy Sepulcher, accompanied by a few ministers, to receive the Holy Light, which will later be distributed to the delegations present.

• Distribution of the Light in Romania and the Republic of Moldova

After arriving in Romania, the Holy Light will be taken over by representatives of all dioceses and distributed to parishes throughout the country and the Republic of Moldova. The official reception ceremony will take place at the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest, where the Light will be greeted by Patriarch Daniel. The annual bringing of the Holy Light to Romania is a tradition that began in 2009, and has since become a central moment in the celebration of Easter for Orthodox believers.

• The Significance of the Easter Miracle

The Holy Light is considered one of the most important miracles of Orthodoxy, which takes place every year on Holy Saturday at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. According to tradition, during the service, a sacred fire miraculously ignites above the Tomb of Jesus Christ, manifesting itself differently each year and having the property, in the first minutes, of not burning. The ceremony is subject to strict checks: the Holy Sepulchre is previously inspected by people from outside the Christian denomination, and the Patriarch of Jerusalem is checked before entering the interior, in order to eliminate any suspicion regarding the existence of a source of fire.