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Aircraft carrying Holy Fire leaves Israel for Moscow

The Holy Fire is to arrive in Moscow at about 23.00 Moscow Time (20.00 GMT)

JERUSALEM, April 15. /TASS/. A special aircraft carrying a flame of the Holy Fire has taken off from Tel Aviv’s airport heading for Moscow. The capsule with Holy Fire is expected to be delivered by the Apostle Andrew the First Called Foundation led by its Chairman of the Board Vladimir Yakunin to the night Easter service officiated by Patriarch Kirill, the head of Russia’s Orthodox Church, at the Christ the Savior Cathedral.

After the Holy Fire descended on the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, Yakunin ignited his lamp from the lamp of Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem.

The Holy Fire is to arrive in Moscow at about 23.00 Moscow Time (20.00 GMT). Traditionally, hundreds of believers meet the Foundation’s delegation at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport for bringing it to parishes of Moscow, the Moscow region and across Russia. In 2017, the first ever flame of the Holy Fire will be brought to London.

Waiting for the Holy Fire

On the eve of Orthodox Easter, Christians flock to Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulcher, waiting for a miracle. In the morning, the church that can seat as many as 10,000 worshippers becomes crowded. The expectation can last between five minutes to a few hours.

The Holy Fire ignites on the tomb of Jesus Christ in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, also called the Church of Resurrection. The fire has been descending each Holy Saturday, of the Orthodox Easter, for many centuries. In spite of numerous attempts, no one has been able to work out the origin of the fire, since in the very first minutes after it descends, the fire is warm and does not burn.

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Ukraine’s military loses positions near Avdeyevka, says DPR

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FACTBOX: Collective Security Treaty Organization

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