Greece has prepared a government plane to deliver the Blessed Fire

The Greek authorities have prepared a government airliner for the transportation of the Holy Fire from Jerusalem to Athens. Despite the lack of final agreement with the Israeli side, the Greek leadership has confirmed its intention to organize the delivery of the holy relic in due time.

According to Orthodoxia News Agency, the decision to use the Prime Minister’s plane has already been made. It is planned that the Exarch of the Holy Sepulchre, Archimandrite Jerome, will be on board the plane to officially escort the shrine to Greece.

This initiative comes despite the fact that the Israeli government has not yet provided an official response to the appeal of the heads of the churches of Jerusalem, sent to the Israeli Prime Minister. Nevertheless, the Greek government maintains a state of readiness for the mission, seeking to deliver the blessing of the Holy Sepulchre to the faithful, unless there are extraordinary circumstances preventing the flight.

It should be noted that earlier the hierarch of the Hellenic Orthodox Church Metropolitan Philotheos of Thessaloniki stated that the faithful can fully celebrate the Resurrection of Christ even in the absence or delay of the delivery of the Holy Fire from Jerusalem. Given the unstable situation in the Middle East, the issue of transportation of the holy relic this year remains uncertain, but the hierarch emphasized that the spiritual essence of the feast does not depend solely on this event.