Orthodox Easter: fears about new waves of COVID-19 and the war in Donbass
Small and poorly ventilated, Orthodox churches can spread the virus, especially during the Easter services when crowds form. Russia’s consumer protection and welfare agency issued recommendations for the holiday. The Patriarchate hands out awards for humanitarian projects in Syria. Onufriy of Kiev calls for a prisoner exchange.
Moscow (AsiaNews) – Orthodox Christians will celebrate Easter tomorrow, 2 May, in accordance with the Orthodox calendar. In Russia many fear more uncontrolled outbreaks of COVID-19, as was the case last year, when many churches refused to comply with health regulations.
In Moscow, the Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare recommends restricting as much as possible the number of people allowed to take part in religious services.
Of particular concern is the initial procession around the churches with candles, when people usually gather in large numbers, while only a few of them enter the church to participate in the actual service.
The authorities also recommend that ventilation and air quality in religious buildings be improved (Russian churches are often small and poorly ventilated, filled with candle smoke), that surfaces be regularly disinfected (especially icons, kissed out of devotion fervour), and that people be required to wear masks (a practice disliked by many Orthodox believers and even more so by priests).
Another recommendations is not to allow people over 65 with chronic health problems inside churches, a major issue since most worshippers who attend liturgical services tend to be seniors.
Yesterday, Good Friday, the Patriarchate organised a solemn award ceremony to recognise people involved in humanitarian work in Syria.
Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev), head of the Department of External Church Relations, met with Dr Hasan Nasrallah, president of the Arab Diaspora Association, who was given a certificate of thanks (picture 3) for his contribution to boosting inter-faith peace. Nasrallah was one of the main organisers of Russian humanitarian convoys in Syria in 2017-2020.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, John X (Yazigi), sent Patriarch Kirill (Gundyayev) a heartfelt message of gratitude, which was shown at the end of a documentary on the lives of Orthodox Christians in Syria, entitled The Antiochene Church, prepared by Metropolitan Hilarion himself and broadcast by the Kultura channel on the evening of Holy Thursday.
The Antiochene Patriarchate is one of the most loyal to Moscow, and has distanced itself from Constantinople, Athens and Alexandria over the recognition of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Church.
Another heartfelt appeal came from the Metropolitan of Kiev (Kyiv) Onufriy (Berezovsky) of the Moscow Patriarchate (picture 4), who said: “For the sake of Christ, stop shooting at least during the days of Easter!”
The metropolitan also called for the release of the prisoners of war held by both sides in the conflict in eastern Ukraine, adding that during these holy days, he wanted “to address the people who have influenced the conflict in the eastern regions of our country, in the Donbass, which is also part of Ukraine”.
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