In the regions where a regime of self-isolation, pastors are strongly advised believers to stay at home and not attend services in accordance with the instructions of the Patriarch, – said Metropolitan Hilarion. – In addition, for those who still will come to service in the temples is the markup that allows you to put parishioners at a safe distance from one another. In this mode, obviously, Easter service will be held in many cities of Russia. That is, they will be allowed parishioners, but in limited quantities.
Patriarch Kirill: the Times of global adversity give us a chance to return to God
In some places, according to him, the Easter service will take place outdoors. And finally, in the regions with the most stringent quarantine measures “it is possible to make the Easter worship is in fact “closed doors”, meaning that there were priests and temple workers, but without the participation of the parishioners.”
But even in the regions where there are no quarantine measures because there is not infected, if the services are sanitary rules prescribed by the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill and the Holy Synod in the instructions. It requires the rejection of the veneration of the cross after the Liturgy and tightening sanitary regulations of the sacraments of baptism, communion and extreme unction.
Metropolitan of Ilion also stressed that the Church can not take on police functions.
– We can, if the situation requires it, persistently asking the faithful not to come to services, but we can’t chase them if they came. We may limit the number of believers for each specific service, and in this case, those who cannot fit, will either have to look for a neighboring temple or return home. But sswseat to shut the doors of the temple we can’t, if only in a specific region, the epidemiological situation will not be so difficult that it would take this extreme measure, he said.
the head of the Synodal Department of the Moscow Patriarchate on relations of the Church with society and mass-media Vladimir Legoyda said yesterday that the Russian Orthodox churches remain open for the parishioners, because the Church expects that believers are still to follow the call of the Patriarch to pray in their homes.
Patriarch Kirill urged the clergy to conduct services without the flock
“I know that man drove out of the temple. Priests do not have binding regulations no secular or ecclesiastical authorities about the closure of the temples”, – he noted.
However, “given the risks and real threat of infection”, his Holiness Patriarch Kirill blessed to pray at home, said Legoyda.
“this is Especially true of those who belong to the risk group who must be quarantined or’s indisposed. We believe that believers will follow this call. And the question of tolerance in most cases is not relevant,” he explained.
According to him, the abbots and parishioners from many parishes agree that a temporary stay of the house will protect the people. “Responsibility unites people, the temple is not a military facility with the regulations of the admission, and one family that is able to dispense with unnecessary formalities in his life” – summed up Vladimir Legoyda.
