In Jerusalem, the ceremony of the descent of the Blessed Fire may take place without pilgrims

The ceremony of the descent of the Holy Fire in Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre will take place this year despite the current security restrictions, but access for the general public may be closed. This is reported by RIA Novosti, citing the statement of Deacon Vahe, serving in the Armenian section of the temple.

According to the clergyman, the rite on Great Saturday, scheduled for April 11, will be held in any case. Nevertheless, there is a high probability that the ceremony will be held only with the participation of church officials and internal staff of the temple, which will make it impossible for pilgrims to attend the solemn event in person.

These measures are related to the current escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. Previously, the Jerusalem authorities have already closed public access to key holy sites for security reasons, as the territory of the Old City is not equipped with a sufficient number of bomb shelters. As the source notes, during the confrontation near the holy sites several times fell fragments of rockets, but the buildings of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and other historical sites were not damaged.

Recall, on Monday, March 16, about 15:00 local time, a large fragment of a missile, shot down by an air defense system, fell 100 meters from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The incident occurred during a rocket fired by Iran towards Jerusalem.