Israel is working with foreign governments and Orthodox Christian leaders in the Holy Land to make sure that one of their most ancient and mysterious rituals -- the Holy Fire ceremony -- is not extinguished by the coronavirus outbreak, officials said Friday.
Each year, thousands of worshippers flock to Jerusalem's Old City and pack into the Church of the Holy Sepulcher for the pre-Easter ceremony. But the church is currently closed.
Akiva Tor, who heads the Foreign Ministry department for world religions, said the arrangement has been discussed with local church leaders and coordinated with several foreign countries with large Orthodox populations, including Greece, Russia, Georgia and Ukraine.