As soon as the “Holy Fire” is kindled in Jerusalem, the flames are transported to Orthodox communities near and far
WHEN SEVEN weeks of ascetic abnegation culminate in a joyful Easter celebration, Orthodox Christians are supposed to be in amity with one another, and at peace with the world. That is more a statement of the obvious. Since a calendar reform of the 1920s, Christians of the east have been divided over when to celebrate say, Christmas; but virtually all, whether in Muscovite cathedrals or tiny Balkan villages, mark Easter on the same date and in broadly the same style.
In a thundering retaliation for what it called encroachment on its canonical territory, the Moscow Patriarchate severed relations with the Istanbul-based hierarch, Bartholomew I, and told its flock not to receive the sacraments in places under his authority. The Muscovite hierarchy apparently sees this as an opportunity for a fresh start. Patriarch Kirill sent the new head of state a warm letter of congratulation and his Easter message contained no vituperation over Ukraine. As a practising Orthodox Christian, Mr Poroshenko had been passionately involved in church affairs and staked his unsuccessful election campaign on a slogan of “army, language and faith”. Mr Zelensky, who is Jewish, has less obvious interest in inter-Orthodox disputes.
In any case, the church which Mr Poroshenko helped to found was proud to celebrate its first Easter since receiving the Tomos, a document issued in Istanbul that certifies its independence. Perhaps a little crestfallen, the former president stood near the front as Metropolitan Epifaniy, the 40-year-old primate of the new church, led the Resurrection chants.
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