KISSING ICONS CONTINUES IN KAZAN CATHEDRAL AND MORE THAN 50 PERSONS GATHERED
On the second day of the practice of restricting visiting religious institutions, more than 50 believers assembled in the Kazan cathedral in St. Petersburg for Sunday service.
Among them in the morning of 29 March was a Fontanka correspondent, Both the attendees in the church and the clergy continue to kiss icons. Three persons in the cathedral wore masks.
We described a similar picture yesterday; at that time the correspondent was told directly that the laws do not apply on the territory of Kazan cathedral.
The number of those infected with the coronavirus in St. Petersburg continues to grow. Yesterday a 73-year-old infected man died. (tr. by PDS, posted 30 March 2020)
LITURGY IN ST. ISAAC'S CATHEDRAL ATTENDED BY MORE THAN 50 PARISHIONERS AND SPEAKER OF LEGISLATURE
by Shpak Klim
The chairman of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg, Viacheslav Makarov, attended a service in the St. Isaac's cathedral. Governor Alexander Beglov had previously forbidden attendance at churches for everybody except church workers.
Besides Deputy Makarov, the divine liturgy,
which was
conducted by Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga Varsonofey,
was attended
by approximately 50 persons, while many of them, including
priests, kissed
icons. Fontanka notes that only three of the parishioners wore
protective
masks.
Sobesednik.ru
earlier
reported about the request from Patriarch Kirill to believers
to refrain from
attending churches. He also urged compliance with the
requirements of the
authorities to combat the spread of coronavirus.
SERVICES
IN ST.
ISAAC'S CATHEDRAL SUSPENDED UNTIL 5 APRIL
by
Ruslan Negdinnyi
Politika.Segodnia,
28
March 2020
Divine
worship
services in St. Isaac's cathedral are suspended because of the
coronavirus.
Entrance into the cathedral for visitors will be forbidden
until 5 April.
On 25
March the head
of the Russian state, Vladimir Putin, announced that the week
from 30 March to
3 April is nonworking with full pay. St. Petersburg Governor
Alexander Beglov ordered
to suspend work of all institutions except for grocery stores,
pharmacies, and emergency
services to prevent spread of the coronavirus. (tr. by PDS,
posted 30 March
2020)
METROPOLITAN
VARSONOFEY
CONDUCTS LITURGY IN ST. ISAAC'S CATHEDRAL WITH PARISHIONERS
PARTICIPATING
The
liturgy was
attended by the speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Viacheslav
Makarov
Metropolitan
of St.
Petersburg and Ladoga Varsonofey conducted on Sunday a liturgy
in St. Isaac's
cathedral as an "exception" established the day after the ban on
admitting people into the cathedral because of the coronavirus
pandemic. The
service was conducted with the participation of a minimal number
of
parishioners, the director of the Communications Section of the
St. Petersburg
metropolitanate of the R.P.Ts, Natalia Rodomanova, told TASS.
"[The
service
was conducted] with a minimal number of parishioners; they stood
at a distance
of about two meters from one another. [The service] was
broadcast on-line and
about 1,500 viewed it," the news agency's source explained.
It was
also noted on
the website of the metropolitanate that the liturgy of the holy
prelate Basil
the Great was attended by the speaker of the Legislative
Assembly of the city.
"The chairman of the Legislative Assembly, Viacheslav Makarov,
worshipped
at the divine liturgy," the report says.
On 26
March, St.
Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov signed an order about new
measures for
combating the spread of the novel coronavirus infection, in
which, among other
things, a ban was introduced on attending churches (with the
exception of their
ministers) during the nonworking days from 28 March to 5 April.
The R.P.Ts. called the
ban by the city authorities a contradiction of the constitution
of the RF and
also a violation of the right to freedom of religious
confession, and it noted
that such restrictions may be imposed only by federal laws. The
St. Petersburg
metropolitanate reported that the churches of St. Petersburg
will continue to
serve in the period from 28 March to 5 April.
Yesterday
Alexander
Beglov also offered the diocese help in arranging on-line
broadcasts of worship
services. The diocese reported that in the near future, a list
of churches from
which they will come will be determined.
The
management of the
Isaac's Cathedral State Monument Museum issued an order
suspending the admission
of individuals into the museum cathedrals of St. Isaac and the
Savior on the
Blood in the period from 28 March 2020 to 5 April 2020. At the
same time, as an
exception, the director of the Isaac's Cathedral Monument Museum
permitted the
conducting of a divine liturgy on 29 March. (tr. by PDS, posted
30 March 2020)
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