Evident concern, beyond the other significant consequences arising from the developments of the US–Israel war in Iran, also exists regarding whether the Holy Light of the Resurrection will come to Greece this year. The issue is troubling both the Church of Greece and the faithful.

The Metropolitan of Thessaloniki, Filotheos, addressing the matter, clarified that the ceremony of the kindling in Jerusalem at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre will indeed take place, however, its transfer to Athens and then on to every corner of Greece is not certain, a possibility that, nonetheless, does not affect the Feast of the Resurrection on Holy Saturday.

“The presence of the Holy Light from Jerusalem is not necessary for the faithful to celebrate the Resurrection.”

As he said in an interview, “there is currently no official information regarding whether and how the transfer of the Holy Light to Greece will take place,” stressing that the conditions being shaped by the war conflicts may affect the transfer process.

NEWSLETTER TABLE TALK

Never miss a story.
Subscribe now.

The most important news & topics every week in your inbox.

“We consider it a special blessing that the Holy Light comes, but not as an absolutely necessary prerequisite.”

At the same time, he clarified that “there is no question as to whether the ceremony of the kindling of the Holy Light at the Holy Sepulchre will take place,” and that the religious ceremonies in Jerusalem are proceeding normally, albeit with a limited number of faithful for obvious security reasons.

“Whatever is meant to happen will happen”

As he said, the issue of the transfer of the Holy Light naturally concerns the Church of Greece, and in this context a meeting took place between the Exarch of the Holy Sepulchre in Athens and the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, His Beatitude Ieronymos.

“The Exarch of the Holy Sepulchre visited His Beatitude the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, Mr. Ieronymos. They obviously discussed this matter as well. Whatever is meant to happen will happen. There is no question of whether the ceremony of the kindling of the Holy Light will take place. Services are proceeding normally, with a restriction on numbers, due to the war conflicts. This ceremony has a history of centuries. Only in recent decades — I believe from 1987 onwards — has it been brought to Greece and other countries by plane. The presence of the Holy Light from Jerusalem is not necessary for the faithful to celebrate the Resurrection. We all receive the Holy Light through the eternal lamp that exists on every Holy Altar in the churches. We never extinguish it. Of course, we consider it a special blessing that the Holy Light comes, but not as an absolutely necessary prerequisite,” he noted characteristically on the Thessaloniki radio station Status FM 107.7, and added:

The Holy Light

“The Holy Light is Jesus; Christ is the light in the lives of people. Symbols always have a referential character. The Holy Light is that light which depicts and symbolizes the person of Christ. Even if this year we do not have the blessing, at least on the first day, at some point the Holy Light will come to our land,” he concluded.