Serbian Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter, this year at home

Serbian Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter, this year at home

Most Orthodox churches urged their worshipers to adhere to the measures introduced to suppress coronavirus, not to go to temples, but to watch Easter liturgies on television. The Easter liturgy was served at midnight by Patriarch Irinej of Serbia in the crypt of St. Sava Temple in Vracar, Belgrade, with a television broadcast (RTS and Tanjug News Agency).

In the Easter epistle, he said that this year's holiday is welcomed and celebrated in difficult circumstances due to the coronavirus pandemic and that every effort must be made to support the efforts of health and state institutions.

Stating that this year's Easter is celebrated in the troubles we rarely met and celebrated in the past, the Patriarch emphasized that in these times everything must be done to help ourselves and others and to understand and support the health efforts, made by sanitation and government institutions, that are working hard to protect us from infection.

"It may be difficult for us at the moment, but all that is of general welfare must be accepted and supported, and we should subordinate ourselves and our behavior to this," said Patriarch Irinej.

In Serbia, a curfew is in effect, the longest since the state of emergency, which will last until Tuesday at 05.00 in the morning, a total of 84 hours.

Thus, the ban on movement, as a measure to combat the virus epidemic, will continue during the Easter holidays.