Holy Light arrives, to stay confined
The Holy Light arrived in Athens at 6 p.m. Saturday but will remain confined to the premises of the Jerusalem Patriarchate in Athens and will not be distributed to churches this time.
The Holy Light arrives on the eve of Easter every year from Jerusalem, having been lit miraculously, according to Christian lore, at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.
The Holy Light was greeted as a visiting head of state by deputy foreign ministewr Kostas Vlassis, the local bishop and a 15-member band, before being transported to Athens.
In Athens, a priest was seen lighting a candle from the light; it was not immediately known where he was going to take it.
Many people have ended up with lit candles across Greece, but it comes from last year's Holy Light, kept in reserve in parishes. It was not known how and if any of the candles were lit the usual way, by passing the light around. This would constitute a violation of the strict quarantine measures imposed by the government nearly a month ago.
Authorities have banned church attendance this year, to guard against an outbreak of coronavirus infections.
