Hegumen Nikon (Golovko), secretary of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, urged pilgrims not to buy tickets and tours to Israel for Orthodox Christmas, believing that the situation in the country has not yet returned to normal.
“I don’t think that for Orthodox Christmas, and even more for Catholic Christmas, which will be celebrated very soon, the authorities will open the borders, which means that the arrival of pilgrims should not be expected. the conclusion is that the borders will open no earlier than in a month. I am sure that planning a trip for Orthodox Christmas, and even more so buying air tickets, is now a risky business, “he said.
Father Nikon described the Easter period of 2022 as a time for a possible return “to a more or less normal lifestyle.”
He is not inclined to believe that the Israeli authorities will introduce QR codes or passes, since, according to him, “the peak of the incidence has passed, the situation is under control, so there is no need to complicate the life of local believers so much.”