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The Holy Light from Jerusalem will be brought to Romania on Saturday evening on a special flight, by a delegation of the Romanian Orthodox Patriarchate, headed by Vicar Bishop of Archdiocese of Bucharest Timotei Prahoveanul.
Patriarch Daniel will offer the Holy Light to the clergy and the faithful at the Saturday midnight Easter Vigil at the Patriarchal Cathedral.
Deanery of the Archdiocese of Bucharest and other Romanian Patriarchate diocese are invited to send delegates at the "Henri Coanda" International Airport in Bucharest - at the official hall on Saturday evening, around 18:30 hrs, in order to receive the Holy Light form Jerusalem.
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The Holy Light is considered to be a miracle of Orthodoxy that occurs every year on Easter in Jerusalem, when, during the Great Saturday Vespers, between 12:30 hrs and 14:30 hrs, above the Holy Sepulchre a fire ignites which emanates from the sky and doesn't burn, manifesting differently each year.
The Holy Light is brought to believers by the Patriarch of Jerusalem.
The Holy Sepulcher is inspected as of Holy and Great Friday, right after the Lamentation at the Tomb (Prohod). Those who carry out this check - so the there isn't any suspicion of set-up - are non-Christian civilian policemen. Typically, there are three: an Arab, a Turk and a representative of the State of Israel. Their role is to inspect the Holy Sepulcher to rule out any source of fire. They also physically control those who will enter there at the time of the religious ceremony. Then, at the right time, the lights go out, the door is sealed, and the guards are left at the entrance.
After the religious service, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, dressed only in a white robe with epitrachelion and girdle, heads for the Holy Sepulcher. At the entrance, the patriarch is searched by the police officers in the presence of witnesses belonging to all confessions. The patriarch unseals the entrance to the Tomb and enters the first room, the "Chapel of the Angel," accompanied, according to tradition, by an Arab of Islamic religion. Further on, the Patriarch goes alone into the actual vault of the Tomb and kneels in front of the gravestone.
After the prayer, those present in the church often have the opportunity to observe a light like a lightning that comes through the dome above the Chapel of the Holy Sepulcher. The pilgrims compare this light with a globe that spreads in small pieces. This light reaches up to the tomb of the Holy Sepulcher, lighting up the cotton-wool placed on the top.
The role of the Patriarch of Jerusalem is to take this lit cotton-wool and place it between two gold cups and return to the Chapel of the Angel. Afterwards, the Patriarch lights two bundles of 33 candles each and then comes out and shares the light to all believers.
AGERPRES
