Although Metropolitan Pavel called on Belarusian Orthodox believers to stay at home at Easter, many people went to churches throughout the country. The Belarusian authorities have not introduced quarantine measures.
Belsat TV journalist Iryna Arakhouskaya has captured the moments of a feast in the pandemic time.
Holy Saturday
Belarus might be facing a rise in the number of COVID-19 patients, but hundreds of Minskers came to the walls of the Holy Spirit Cathedral to get Easter eggs and cakes consecrated. The church servants met the immediate situation and placed many individual tables for food baskets instead of one. They also designated standing points inside the church so that the worshippers could keep the distance.
“Let us live our lives setting the examples of prudence and self-control for our loved ones and being giants of faith and faithfulness to the Holy Church of Christ. Let us be tolerant and helpful for people around us and treat them with love,” Pavel (Ponomaryov), Metropolitan of Minsk and Zaslauye, appealed to the Orthodox Christians of Belarus.
Easter service at St. Elizabeth’s monastery
As the photos below show, there was hardly a possibility to have coronavirus-safe distance during the Easter Vigil in a church of St. Elizabeth’s monastery in Minsk.
