dpa
Jerusalem
Thousands of Orthodox Christians celebrated the "Holy Fire” in Jerusalem on Saturday, but some were disappointed as Israel limited the number of worshippers for security reasons.
In the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III lit candles at the "Holy Fire” in the burial chapel and passed them on to the faithful.
Before the ceremony, there were tensions about the number of participants allowed. Israel had announced that it would only allow 1,800 worshippers in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Orthodox Church representatives spoke of "unreasonable restrictions by the Israeli police.” The number of worshippers had also been restricted in previous years after a mass panic at a Jewish festival in 2021 left 45 people dead.
Security forces erected barriers in Jerusalem on Saturday. The Times of Israel newspaper reported that police had already turned away a large number of worshippers at the gates of the Old City in the morning.
A sea of candles lit the Jerusalem church during the traditional ceremony, which is held on the Saturday before the Orthodox Easter begins. The fire is then flown to parishes worldwide, including Russia and Ukraine.
Followers of the Eastern Orthodox Churches believe that the Holy Fire at Jesus’ tomb miraculously ignites itself and represents the power of the resurrection. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre stands on the site where, according to Christian tradition, Jesus was crucified, buried and rose again.
Easter, the Jewish Passover festival and the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan fell simultaneously this year. After fierce confrontations between Israeli police and Palestinians last week in the area known as the Temple Mount to Jews and the Noble Sanctuary to Muslims, the security situation in the region had further deteriorated.
Rockets were fired at Israel from Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. The country responded with counter-attacks. In addition, Palestinians carried out several deadly attacks on civilians. In recent days, however, the situation has remained relatively calm.