The Holy Fire will be delivered to Romania on a special flight under heightened security measures

On Holy Saturday, the Holy Fire from Jerusalem will be brought to Romania on a special flight. This was made possible thanks to official agreements reached with the support of the Romanian and Israeli authorities, despite the ongoing tensions in the Middle East region.

According to the Orthodox Times news outlet, the Romanian Patriarchate delegation received all the necessary permits to carry out the mission. According to Archimandrite Ioan Meiu, the Patriarchate’s representative to the Holy Places, a special flight corridor from Ben-Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv was secured with the assistance of the Romanian Embassy in Israel. «With God’s help, we will deliver the Holy Fire to Bucharest,» the clergyman said, expressing hope for the safe completion of the mission, which is an important event for the Romanian faithful.

This year’s ceremony in Jerusalem will be held in a special mode. Only Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, accompanied by a limited number of clerics, will enter the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Due to the conflict in the Middle East, the Old City of Jerusalem remains closed and mass religious gatherings and processions are restricted. The transfer of the Holy Flame to delegations of Orthodox countries will be organized directly at the Patriarchate or at the Temple.

The tradition of bringing the Blessed Fire to Romania has been maintained annually since 2009. Upon arrival in Bucharest, the relic will be welcomed by Patriarch Daniel of Romania in a solemn ceremony at the Patriarchal Cathedral. In the future, the fire will be distributed to dioceses throughout the country, as well as transferred to the Republic of Moldova.