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The pilgrimage to Saint Demetrius the New in the capital began on Sunday morning, although the government had initially announced that it was considering banning it. Sunday, almost 8,000 believers flocked to the sanctuary to worship and pray. But it was only the first day, because the pilgrimage will end only on Tuesday night. Despite the preventive measures taken, doctors fear that this perennial of thousands of people on relics will be reflected in an even greater increase in the number of diseases, given that the coronavirus epidemic in Romania is alarming.
Photo: © say Photos / Octav Ganea
There were long lines at the Patriarchate of Bucharest, where pilgrims wanted to worship the Relics of Saint Demetrius the New. The evening service began with more than 250 people. The queue extended for about 250 meters, from the Patriarchate to the base of the hill.
Access to the relics was done on Sunday according to clear rules: only people with a Bucharest ID card, who kept their distance and had a mask, had been accepted.
The pilgrims came to line up in the morning
However, hundreds of Bucharest residents had arrived at the Patriarchate long before dawn to begin praying before the relics of Saint Demetrius the New. They came prepared to wait for hours, having the experience of the last few years when people from all over the country packed Metropolitan Hill to the brim. Some brought chairs from home and sat in line.
“Well, we have about 2 hours until the relics are removed, until the service is done,” explains a parishioner.
“We were afraid it would be cold, we would stay a long time and the incident made us stay a little longer and we thank God for everything,” says another woman.
How to Access Relics
Before entering the single corridor, specially prepared for pilgrims, the faithful must pass through the filter of the gendarmes: “Keep a distance of five feet and prepare the identity card,” the gendarmes tell them.
After the law enforcement officers make sure the pilgrims are from Bucharest, a second filter follows.
“It just came to our attention then. Do you want us to give you another mask, because this one is a bit worn? Change it yourself. How much are you in to wear the mask permanently and correctly!” – So the advice of the volunteers sounds .
If in previous years the Calea Sfinţilor procession marked the beginning of the pilgrimage, this year, in the context of the state of alert, this ritual was abandoned. The pilgrimage began by removing the relics of Saint Demetrius the New from the Patriarchal Cathedral and placing them in a specially arranged canopy.
Then, one by one, the believers could enter to pray.
“The organization of the feast of Saint Dimitrie the New, the protector of Bucharest, this year could only be organized through a very rigorous adaptation to the epidemiological context, to the state of red alert in which the city of Bucharest finds itself,” explained Vasile Bănescu – BOR spokesperson. .
The new prefect of Bucharest, Traian Berbeceanu, came personally to make sure everything goes according to the rules.
Doctor: “Honestly, it seems inadmissible to me”
On the other hand, doctors criticize the decision of the authorities to allow religious pilgrimages in the context in which Romania is facing a greater number of coronavirus cases.
“It seems to me, sincerely, inadmissible, that these pilgrimages should continue to be accepted. It seems to me too high a price for the public image that is paid for such activities, especially since those who participate in such pilgrimages are precisely the people who are in risk groups ”, emphasizes Dr. Andreea Moldovan, doctor in infectious diseases.
The representatives of the Romanian Patriarchate assure that they have taken measures aimed at preventing the spread of the new coronavirus. From time to time, Patriarchate volunteers provide the faithful with hand sanitizer and masks, if needed. In addition, parishioners are asked to keep their masks on their faces, even when touching the relics, and then a representative of the Patriarchate disinfects the area.
The pilgrimage of San Demetrio el Nuevo lasts until Tuesday, inclusive.
Editor: Luana Pavaluca
