The 2021 Easter comes with a series of rules designed to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus among people who will have the opportunity to attend services, only from the outside initially, and who will be able to move during the night until 05:00.
Guidelines of the Chancellery of the Holy Synod, approved by the Patriarch of Romania, regarding the services that will be performed between Saturday Palm and the celebration of the Healing Spring (April 24 – May 7, 2021), under the state of alert.
Given that, accordingly Government Decision no. 432/8 April 2021 regarding the extension of the state of alert on the territory of Romania starting from April 13, 2021, as well as the establishment of the measures that are applied during it to prevent and combat the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, published in The Official Monitor of Romania, part I, no. 369 of April 9, 2021, the state of alert has been extended throughout the country for a new period of 30 days, starting on April 13, 2021,
Taking into account the provisions The joint order of the Minister of Health and the Minister of Internal Affairs no. 1.103/95/2020 for the approval of the rules regarding access to places of worship, the minimum safety distance and specific sanitary measures for the conduct of religious activities, published in The Official Monitor of Romania, part I, no. 520 of June 17, 2020,
The Chancellery of the Holy Synod elaborated the present directions, addressed to all worship units in Romania of the Romanian Orthodox Church, regarding the holy services that will be performed between Saturday Palm and the celebration of the Healing Spring (April 24 – May 7, 2021):
- The holy services will be performed according to the liturgical and typical provisions specific to the period, in compliance with the normative acts regarding the state of alert on the territory of Romania.
- Holy services can be held inside and/or outside places of worship, in compliance with health protection rules provided by The joint order of the Minister of Health and the Minister of Internal Affairs no. 1.103/95/2020, among which we mention: hand disinfection upon entering the place of worship; mandatory wearing of the sanitary mask, so that it covers the mouth and nose; ensuring a surface area of at least 4 sqm for each person and a distance of at least 2 m between people, indoors, and 1,5 m between people, outside.
- Each cult unit will train several volunteers, who will wear personalized badges, to ensure that the holy services and activities specific to the pre-Easter and Easter period are carried out in good conditions.
- The priests will, in time, inform the faithful about the schedule of religious events and the present recommendations, calling for the observance of sanitary norms.
- Parish priests, abbots or ecclesiarchs, as the case may be, they will calculate the number of people who can enter the place of worship and its premises, taking care of appropriate marking of the places where the faithful can sit, so that the legal norms regarding physical distancing between people are respected.
- To avoid travel and crowding, believers are recommended to participate in the holy services performed at the cult units to which they belong from a territorial point of view (parish church).
- Since "the organization of religious processions and/or pilgrimages is allowed only with the participation of persons who have their domicile or residence in the locality where the respective activity is carried out" (art. 1 point 10-11 of Annex 3 of GD no. 432/April 8, 2021 ), it is recommended that, where this tradition exists, flower processions are organized on the eve of the holiday by each worship unit, with its own believers, by surrounding the place of worship. Willow or fennel branches will be blessed in Saturday of Lazarus, April 24, 2021, after Vespers, if a procession is organized around the place of worship, or in Palm Sunday, April 25, 2021. The blessed branches will be distributed by priests and volunteers outside the place of worship, and the faithful will be encouraged to wait in the marked places until they receive the branches. Throughout the service and the procession, the physical distance provided by the legal regulations will be respected.
- In the week Holy Passions, the holy services (Holy Liturgy, Deniilor services, Sacrament of Sfântului Maslu, Sacrament of Confession, etc.) will be celebrated inside and/or outside places of worship, according to liturgical and typical regulations, in compliance with sanitary protection rules. Taking into account that the movement of people outside the home/household is prohibited in the time interval 22,00-5,00, and in the localities with a high incidence rate of cases of infected people, the movement outside the home/household is prohibited in the time interval 20,00 -5,00 (art. 2 par. 1 point 2-4 of Annex 3 of HG no. 432/April 8, 2021), the holy services performed in the evening will be scheduled, as appropriate, in a time slot that allows the faithful to return to their homes, so that the legal provisions in force are respected.
- In Holy and Good Friday, at the time surrounding the church with Holy Epitaph, volunteers will urge worshipers to respect physical distance. If the church has no side exits and an entry-exit flow cannot be ensured, the clergy will wait in the churchyard until all worshipers pass under Holy Epitaph, then they will enter the church for the final part of the service. If there is not enough space for the faithful in the church, after worship, they will wait in the courtyard of the place of worship, in the marked places.
- According to the tradition started in 2009, The Holy Light will be brought from Jerusalem on Saturday, May 1, 2021, in the evening, and will be offered to diocese delegations at Otopeni International Airport. Delegates will wear a protective mask and respect the physical distance provided by law. Later, the diocesan Centers, through the deacons, will distribute, in due time, the Holy Light to each parish.
- Taking into account that "in all localities, the movement of people outside the home/household is allowed, between May 1 and May 2, 2021, between 20,00:5,00 p.m. and 2:6 a.m. for movement and participation in religious services" (art. 3 point 432 of Annex 8 of GD no. 2021/April XNUMX, XNUMX), the service of the Resurrection of the Lord on the night of Sunday, May 2, 2021, will be performed in the presence of the faithful, according to the liturgical order of the Orthodox Church. So:
- to avoid overcrowding, at the worship units with the pangar inside the church, more will be organized in advance, in specially arranged places outside the place of worship distribution points a Easter (bread blessed and sprinkled with aghesa and wine, prepared and packed ahead of time in closed single-use packages/bags, respecting hygiene rules), of candles, candles and peddling items;
- the faithful will wait, outside the place of worship, on specially marked individual places, for the reception of the Holy Light from the clergy, at 00.00:1,5, keeping a distance of XNUMX m between people;
- after offering the Holy Light, the Holy Gospel and the Pastoral will be read;
- at the end of the service outside, for the consummation Canon of the Resurrection and Holy Liturgy, the clergy will enter the place of worship together with the faithful, within the limits of the available space, according to the health provisions in force, or they will continue the service outside the place of worship, if the number of believers is large.
- On the first day of Easter, his Vespers service The Second Resurrection, takes place in churches, starting at 12.00, with the participation of lay believers, respecting the sanitary rules in force.
- On Friday, May 7, 2021, on the occasion of the holiday of the Healing Spring, the water consecration service will be performed, outside the church, after the pulpit prayer at the Holy Liturgy. After sanctifying the water, this will be offered to the faithful outside the place of worship by volunteers, believers walking keeping the distance of 1,5 m and wearing a protective mask.
