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Greek authorities confirmed that delivery Holy occurrence from Jerusalem will take spot arsenic usual, contempt the tense situation successful the Middle East.
This was stated by Deputy Foreign Minister Yiannis Loverdos during a television interrogation connected the greeting of April 7.
According to him, the authorities has taken each indispensable measuresso that the ceremonial takes spot the aforesaid arsenic successful erstwhile years.
Ceremony under restrictions
This year, the descent of the Holy Fire successful Jerusalem will beryllium held successful a closed format.
According to Israeli instrumentality enforcement officials, Media representatives and pilgrims will not beryllium allowed into the Church of the Holy Sepulcher connected Holy Saturday (April 11).
The restrictions were introduced for information reasons amid threats of shelling.
The determination was made connected March 30 by the Israeli constabulary successful consultation with Christian denominations.
Thus, For the archetypal clip successful a agelong time, the traditional ceremonial will beryllium held successful the astir constricted formatwithout the wide beingness of believers.
How will transportation work?
Despite this, the process for delivering occurrence to Greece will stay unchanged:
- on the greeting of Holy Saturday (April 11) the level will alert to Tel Aviv;
- the unit will stay astatine the airport;
- the Greek delegation will spell to Jerusalem;
- the ceremonial will take spot successful the Church of the Holy Sepulchre;
- after this, the Holy Fire will beryllium transferred to the Greek broadside and delivered to the country.
The ceremonial will beryllium attended by representatives of the Greek state, the Patriarch and the Consul General of Greece.
“Soul of the Greeks”
As Loverdos emphasized, Holy occurrence is the “soul of the Greeks” during the Easter period.
“It symbolizes the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and has tremendous moral, affectional and intelligence significance,” – helium said.
According to him, “The Resurrection of Christ is some the rebirth of quality and the rebirth of our country.”
Editorial comment
The story of the transportation of the Holy Fire is simply a uncommon illustration of a tradition that remains extracurricular of governmental contention successful Greece… astatine slightest formally.
But this year, the ceremonial itself unexpectedly recovered itself astatine the halfway of geopolitics.
The occurrence that should unite believers is lit successful conditions of closed doors and subject risks.
From a applicable constituent of view, this looks strange: successful the 21st century, a occurrence tin beryllium lit anywhere, and there is nary “logistical need” for its transportation.
But present the question is not successful logic, but successful symbol.
Holy occurrence is not astir flame, but astir identity. About the feeling of continuity, tradition and belonging to something bigger.
And that is why the state continues to enactment successful this process, turning spiritual ritual into an constituent of nationalist authorities – adjacent if the ritual itself takes spot without people.
Time paradox: The little entree mean radical person to an event, the higher its symbolic value.
Greek (GR) · 
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