The Ecumenical Patriarch sent a message of overcoming “the afflictions of the pandemic” and “going to the Promised Land after the desert of the deadly disease” with a special mention of the battle being fought in the hospitals.
“We are experiencing Easter as a passage this year as well,” he said Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, “Passage, beyond the sufferings of the pandemic, to the restoration of face-to-face communication” in his speech after the Resurrection ceremony in the courtyard of the Patriarchate, surrounded by Metropolitans of the Ecumenical Throne.
Easter found the Lighthouse of Orthodoxy and the expatriates in Istanbul with a total lockdown. Everyone celebrated Easter at home and attended church online or on television.
The Resurrection procession took place at midnight but behind closed doors. The Brilliant Resurrection of the Lord was celebrated in the Center of Orthodoxy with great splendor, solemnity and according to the long-standing ecclesiastical tradition and order, but the clergy were present and few were allowed to leave.
The Patriarch in the Message for the feast of Easter addressed especially to the fellow human beings being tested by the pandemic. “My mind is running, very intensely at this time, in the intensive care unit and in the hospitals, where earthly life is confronted with death, which is foreign to our nature”, he said and continued: “My heart beats with all those who mourn tonight their own loved one deprived of the pandemic. “
He made no special reference to all those who in the research and nursing centers are “sacrificing the battle to help all of us to overcome humanity and this cruel ordeal.”
For the second consecutive year, Easter in Istanbul is celebrated in absolute reduction with more cases of coronavirus and death than last year. And as His Holiness characteristically said, everyone is hoping for the next year “the transition to a blessed Land of Promise, after the painful wandering in the desert of the deadly disease.”
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
