MINSK, 16 December (BelTA) - The Peace Light from Bethlehem will be delivered to Grodno on 18 December and to Minsk on 19 December, BelTA learned from the official portal of the Roman Catholic Church in Belarus.
The Peace Light from Bethlehem Fire will be delivered to St Francis Xavier Cathedral in Grodno on 18 December (at 17:00), and to the Minsk Cathedral of Saint Virgin Mary on 19 December (at 18:30). On Saturday, 20 December, the light will arrive at the Vitebsk Cathedral of Jesus the Merciful (at 17:30); on Sunday, 21 December, it will reach the Pinsk Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (at 11:15).
This year, the Peace Light from Bethlehem is planned to be delivered to more than 150 Roman Catholic and Greek Catholic parishes. A map with the schedule of arrivals at parishes across the country is posted on the Roman Catholic Church portal in Belarus.
The Peace Light from Bethlehem was officially delivered to Belarus for the first time in 1998. Catholic scouts and guides play the main role in its distribution among Catholic parishes and institutions; they have been involved since 2008. Scouts from Vitebsk, Grodno, Zhodino, Ivatsevichi, Minsk, and Polotsk will join this year.
The history of the Peace Light from Bethlehem began in Austria in 1986, when employees of the local radio company ÖRF decided to thank sponsors of the Light in the Darkness charity campaign by sharing light from Bethlehem with them. Initially, the initiative was not planned as an annual event, but over time it resonated in people’s hearts and has now become an international Christmas tradition.
In 1989, the scouting movement took active part in the Peace Light from Bethlehem campaign for the first time. What started with just Austrian scouts eventually spread to other countries.
The Peace Light from Bethlehem is lit by a child or teenager from one of 15 ever-burning lamps located directly in the Grotto of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Afterward, the light is delivered to Austria on a special flight, from where it spreads to countries around the world.
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