Armenian priest unveils mystery of Jerusalem's Holy FireMarch 12, 2018 - 13:27 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Priest Samuel Aghoyan representing the Armenian Patriarchate in Jerusalem recently had an argument with a representative of the Coptic Church on the issue of how the Holy Fire appears. The incident occurred while shooting a report for Hadashot 2 news bulletin produced by Israel Television News Company. For more than 1,200 years the ritual of the Holy Fire has been performed in Jerusalem every Easter, with a flame "miraculously" appearing at the darkened tomb of Jesus to symbolize the Resurrection. Aghoyan said he has seen three times how the patriarchs lit the bundles of wax candles from an oil lamp inside the empty tomb, adding that there was nothing mysterious about the Holy Fire. "God works miracles, but not for the amusement of people," said the priest. This statement angered a Coptic clergyman who demanded to stop the shooting. “The fire descends from the sky and the patriarch takes it out and shares with others,” he claimed. Aghoyan said in response that the Copts do not attend the Holy Fire ceremony. In past centuries, the Holy Fire was carried from Jerusalem all through the Orthodox world - by steamer to Odessa on the Black Sea to light the icon lamps of Russia, on mules to Damascus in the steps of St Paul, and by camel caravan to the churches of the Coptic Christians of Egypt. Top stories The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. London’s Armenian community has been left feeling “under attack” after the city’s Genocide monument was vandalised. The United States believes there should be an international mission to provide transparency. Partner news | Turkey extends military presence in Azerbaijan The Turkish parliament has adopted a bill submitted by Recep Tayyip Erdogan to extend the mandate of Turkish troops. Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills Armenian, Saudi Foreign Minister meet in Riyadh The two commended the positive dynamics of the development of political dialogue between Armenia and Saudi Arabia Pashinyan: Azerbaijan’s proximity shouldn’t worry border residents At the same time, he said that he “does not guarantee [the security of villagers] one hundred percent”. |