The Holy Fire will be brought from Jerusalem on Saturday evening by Archimandrite Ioan Meiu, superior of the Romanian Patriarchate's Settlements at the Holy Places, and will be handed to the delegates of the Romanian Orthodox Church dioceses present at the 'Henri Coanda' International Airport.
The diocesan centers will then distribute the Holy Light to their parishes through the deaneries, the Romanian Patriarchate's Press Office announced.
That same evening, around 7 p.m., the Holy Fire will be welcomed at the historic Patriarchal Cathedral 'Holy Emperors Constantine and Helen' by His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel.
"We haven't received any information about any possible problem, so things remain unchanged for now," Patriarchal spokesperson Father Adrian Agachi told AGERPRES on Thursday.
The Patriarchate said earlier this week that the tradition of bringing the Holy Fire from Jerusalem will continue this year, but if the event is hindered by a possible escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, the Light brought in 2025 and kept burning continuously will be offered at the Patriarchal Cathedral.
"Currently, all the premises are in place for the Holy Fire to be brought as every year, but given the geopolitical situation, marked by the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, its bringing could be affected only in a case of unforeseen force majeure. In such an undesirable situation, the Holy Fire from Jerusalem will be offered from the Patriarchal Cathedral, since the Light brought in 2025 has been kept burning continuously in a special candle," the Patriarchate said.
The tradition of bringing the Holy Fire from Jerusalem was introduced by Patriarch Daniel in 2009.
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The Holy Fire is considered a miracle of Orthodoxy, occurring every year on Holy Saturday in Jerusalem, between 12:30 and 14:30, when a flame descends above the Holy Sepulchre and, in the first minutes, does not burn. The Patriarch of Jerusalem brings the Light to the faithful.
Immediately after the Lamentations of the Lord service on Good Friday, the Holy Sepulchre is inspected by non-Christian civilian police officers - typically an Arab, a Turk and a representative of the State of Israel - to ensure there is no source of fire. After inspection, the tomb is sealed and guarded.
After the service, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, wearing only a white sticharion, epitrachelion and zone, is checked by police in the presence of witnesses of all confessions. The Patriarch unseals the entrance to the Sepulchre and enters the first room, the Chapel of the Angel, accompanied - according to tradition - only by an Arab of the Islamic religion. Further, the Patriarch enters alone into the actual room of the Tomb and kneels before the stone.
After prayer, witnesses often report seeing flashes of light descending through the dome. Pilgrims compare this light to a globe that is scattered into small glimmers, and reaches the slab of the Holy Sepulchre, thus igniting the cotton wool scattered on top.
The Patriarch takes the lit cotton wool in his hands, places it in two golden cups and returns to the Chapel of the Angel.
He then lights two bundles of 33 candles each, and distributes the Holy Light to the faithful.
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