JERUSALEM -- Israel is working with foreign governments and Orthodox Christian leaders in the Holy Land to make sure that one of their most ancient and mysterious rituals -- the Holy Fire ceremony -- is not extinguished by the coronavirus outbreak, officials said Friday.
Each year, thousands of worshippers flock to Jerusalem's Old City and pack into the Church of the Holy Sepulcher -- built on the site where Christian tradition holds that Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected -- for the pre-Easter ceremony.
Top Eastern Orthodox clerics enter the Edicule, the small chamber marking the site of Jesus' tomb, and exit with candles said to be miraculously lit with "holy fire" as a message to the faithful. Details of the flame's source are a closely guarded secret.
During the ceremony, worshippers crowd closely together around the Edicule and use candles to pass the flame from person to person, illuminating the inside of the church. The flame is then transferred to special containers to be dispatched to Orthodox Christian communities around the world.
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Because of a ban on large public gatherings this year because of the pandemic, Israeli officials say the April 18 ceremony will be limited to about 10 religious leaders from various Orthodox denominations. They have also developed a way to deliver the flame to overseas communities.
Because anyone entering Israel must go into quarantine, foreign dignitaries arriving to pick up the flame will receive it on their planes and immediately return home.
Israel has reported more than 7,400 confirmed cases and at least 40 deaths.
Akiva Tor, who heads the Israeli Foreign Ministry's department for world religions, said the arrangement has been discussed with local church leaders and coordinated with several foreign countries with large Orthodox populations, including Greece, Russia, Georgia and Ukraine.
Tor said church officials have been understanding.
A Section on 04/04/2020