Metropolitan Athenagoras of Belgium addresses the faithful and priests in a pastoral letter for Holy Week and Easter.
Moreover, following the measures taken by governments and by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Metropolitan of Belgium informs the faithful and the priests that during Holy Week the holy services will be performed at the following churches: at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel in Brussels, at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Rotterdam, and at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Luxembourg.
He also says that only a few services will be performed, that is the Divine Liturgy on Palm Sunday, the Divine Liturgy of Great and Holy Thursday, the Vespers Service on Great and Holy Friday, the Orthros and the Service before the Resurrection. No other service will be performed.
The aforementioned services will be performed by one priest, by the Metropolitan of Brussels, and the Archieratic Commissioners to the Netherlands and to Luxembourg. The services will be performed behind closed doors with the physical presence of two chanters. Nobody else is allowed to attend the services. No service will be performed at other churches as they will remain closed. He also calls on the clergy and the faithful to pray at home. On Great and Holy Wednesday, the priests will perform the Holy Unction Service (Iero Evchelaion) at home with the presence of their family. In addition, Metropolitan Athenagoras asks the priests to pray especially for Father Athanasios Karatzogiannis, who is currently in the hospital.
Finally, he says, “We hope and wish to be able to celebrate Easter, on Wednesday the 27th of May 2020. We are obliged to stay home for our sake and for the sake of our fellow human beings. It is very difficult for all of us, but we do not have any other choice. We are obliged to express our Christian faith the way they did during Early Christianity. We will revive the ancient concept of the ‘kat’ oikon ekklesia’, that is ‘domestic church’.”
