Скачать или смотреть Thousands of Christians gather in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulcher for Holy Fire ceremony

(19 Apr 2025)
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ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jerusalem - 19 April 2025
1. Various of worshippers inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, people carrying flames
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Andre (no last name given), worshipper from Romania
“How was it? as it was in the previous year and as it will be in the next thousands of years, a very big joy of light and of happiness for people here because, God is light. It’s the way that he is sharing the beautiful of life and the joy with all us, together. It’s a miracle and the most part, the most beautiful part of the miracle it’s the joy that is spreading this celebration”
3. Various of worshippers with candles inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher during the Holy Fire ceremony
STORYLINE:
Flames illuminated the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem on Saturday, where hundreds of Christians worshippers attended the Holy Fire ceremony.

A day before Easter, a crowd gathered in the cavernous church for a centuries-old ceremony known as the Holy Fire.

Holding unlit candles, they packed into the sprawling 12th century basilica built on the site where, according to tradition, Jesus was crucified and buried. The Greek patriarch entered the Holy Edicule and emerged with two lit candles.

The flame was passed from one candle to the next, the light overcoming the darkness in the rotunda. The flame is later transferred to Orthodox communities in other countries on special flights.

Eastern Orthodox Christians believe the light miraculously appears inside the Holy Edicule, built on the traditional site of Jesus’ tomb, while skeptics going back to the Middle Ages have dismissed it as a carnival trick for the masses.

Either way, the ceremony, which goes back at least 1,200 years, is a sight to behold.

It has also ignited safety concerns. In 1834 a frenzied stampede broke out in the darkened church, and the ruler of the Holy Land at the time barely escaped after his guards drew swords and hacked their way through the crowd, the historian Simon Sebag Montefiore recounts in his history of Jerusalem. Some 400 pilgrims died in the melee, most from suffocation or trampling.

Israeli authorities have sought to limit participants in recent years, citing safety concerns. That has drawn protests from church leaders, who have accused it of upsetting the delicate, unwritten arrangements around Jerusalem's holy sites known as the status quo.

On Saturday, there was a heavy military presence as thousands of worshipers passed through Israeli checkpoints to enter. AP reporters saw police detain one man, while scuffles occurred between police and some women who were barred from entering the courtyard.

Some worshipers lamented that the turnout lacked in numbers this year because of Israel's 18-month war with Hamas.

“The number of police is higher than the number of pilgrims,” said Adeeb Joude, key holder for the Holy Sepulcher.

Israel captured east Jerusalem, including the Old City with major sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, in the 1967 Mideast war, and annexed it in a move not recognized internationally. The Palestinians want east Jerusalem to be the capital of their future state.

The Old City has a long history of tensions between Israelis and Palestinians, among different religious groups that share its hilly confines and even within certain faiths. Perceived infringements on the status quo in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher have sparked brawls between monks of different denominations.



AP video by Hovsep Garo Nalbandian

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