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Holy Fire arrives in Moscow from Jerusalem

The capsule will now be delivered to Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral for the Easter night service

© Sergei Savostyanov/TASS

MOSCOW, April 27. /TASS/. A special flight carrying a capsule containing the Holy Fire that descended in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem earlier on Saturday has landed at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport, a TASS correspondent reported.

The capsule will now be delivered to Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral for the Easter night service that will be led by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the head of Russian Orthodox Church.

All believers will have a chance to light a candle from the Holy Fire. Hundreds of worshippers gathered at Vnukovo airport to take the Holy Fire to parishes across the country.

On the eve of Orthodox Easter, the Holy Fire descends in the Edicule, a chapel built over the burial place of Jesus Christ, during a prayer delivered by the Patriarch of Jerusalem and All Palestine. After the fire's descent, the Patriarch passes it over to believers who light 33 candles tied together - a candle for each year of Christ's life. In spite of numerous attempts, no one has been able to work out the origin of the fire.

Abkhazian Civic Chamber establishes group for negotiations between authorities, opposition

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