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A few minutes before 6 pm, the plane carrying the Holy Light arrived at Eleftherios Venizelos airport.
The Sacred Light was transported to Athens by the Exarch of the Holy Sepulcher in Greece, Archimandrite Damianos, while the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Costas Vlasis and the Metropolitan of Mesogaia and Lavreotiki Nikolas welcomed him in a simple ceremony, without the presence of people. The indescribable light honors were awarded by a small honorary procession and the Armed Forces gang.
In his greeting, the Undersecretary of State, Costas Vlasis, emphasized that this year’s situation unfortunately does not allow us to welcome the Holy Light with the greatness and honors of recent years, since our homeland, but also the planet Entire, they are being tested for a dangerous pandemic. , which threatens the highest good, life itself. At the critical moment, Vlasis pointed out, the absolute priority can only be the protection of the health of society as a whole.
He also noted that “the least we could do as a State was to bring the Holy Light directly from the Holy Sepulcher to Jerusalem, here in our homeland, and this may not reach every church and every home this year, but the Holy Light exists for all of us who believe in the Bank’s always burning candle. “
Finally, he wanted the Holy Light and the Resurrection to strengthen the hope for a better tomorrow, conveying the message of life’s victory over death throughout the universe.
The Exarch of the Holy Sepulcher, for his part, said that the Sacred Light is the Light of Resurrection, illuminates the life of the Church and strengthens its faithful members in all life’s adventures, it is the light of hope that is especially difficult in the present. In conditions that Greece is experiencing, but also sympathetic to the Universe, man eagerly asks that he proceed with courage. He also thanked the government for organizing the transfer of the Holy Light, as well as the airline “for their great contribution to this glorious project.”
From the airport, the Holy Light was transferred only to the Exarchate of the Holy Sepulcher, in Plaka, where it will be kept and will not be distributed to believers and temples.
The Aegean plane departed for Israel. Only the exarch of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem in Greece, the archimandrite Mr. Damianos, traveled with one of his assistants. They did not land at the Tel Aviv airport. They received the Holy Light from a car from the Greek Consulate in Jerusalem that was brought directly from the Holy Sepulcher.
It is emphasized that, in the context of the measures against the coronavirus pandemic, it will not be transferred to other parishes or distributed to the faithful, since the pertinent restriction measures are in force. “There is a call to the faithful to go out to their balconies shortly before midnight and sing Christ is risen.
Previously, shortly after 1:30 p.m., the Touch of Light ceremony was held at noon on Saturday at the Holy Temple of Resurrection in Jerusalem. Following restrictive measures due to the crown, the ceremony of touching the Holy Light in Jerusalem took place in a climate of despair.
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