Velikoretsk and St. Nicholas icon: On pilgrimage despite pandemic

The journey began on June 3 and will last until June 8. Between 30 and 50 thousand pilgrims are expected, ignoring all indications and health restrictions. In early June, there were already 2,000 Covid-19 positive cases in the region. The Moscow Patriarchate has decided not to intervene for fear of creating a "clandestine orthodoxy" which rejects health rules and ecclesiastical authorities.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - In the Kirov region in northern Russia, the pilgrimage to Velikoretsk has begun, one of the oldest and most important popular processions in the country (photo 1). The fact is that various spacing and isolation measures are still in place for Covid-19. The reopening of the Orthodox churches will take place in a few days, but the pilgrims did not want to miss the annual reccurance.

In 2000 the pilgrimage of Velikoretsk received the status of "national procession". In that jubilee year, several thousand people attended. Since 2008, between 150 and 50 thousand people have walked the 150 kilometers that divide the city of Kirov from the sanctuary of Velikoretsk, and even more gather directly on the place where the miraculous icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is located.

This year, because of the pandemic, the bishop responsible for the pilgrimage, the metropolitan of Vjatka Mark (Tuzhikov), addressed the faithful on May 13 with a message. It confirmed that the pilgrimage would take place regularly from June 3 to 8, but with "changes due to the epidemiological situation". According to these instructions, the icon is transported by car by diocesan priests, and not carried by hand by pilgrims. The liturgical celebration on the Velikaja river, one of the most significant stages of the route, was also eliminated.

Stages have been set up with camps organized for overnight stays and food preparation, with the presence of doctors and volunteers. According to current health regulations, pilgrims from other regions of Russia should spend two weeks of quarantine and self-isolation, which is absolutely impossible to control. In fact, the "true believers" have organized themselves on social media, exchanging advice on how to participate in the pilgrimage, bypassing quarantine measures.

Several hundred people were already present at the initial liturgy, held in the monastery of Saint Tryphon in Kirov. Some volunteers distributed masks and other protections, with warning flyers, but the social distance was not maintained on the territory of the church. At least 3 thousand pilgrims from even very distant regions joined the local faithful: From the Don area, Udmurtia, the Arkhangelsk and Komi region, as well as from St. Petersburg, finding means of transport and welcome in homes, and all kinds of on-site support through social media.

At the end of the pilgrimage, the effects of all this on the spread of the virus in the region will have to be verified. As of June 2, there were almost 2 thousand cases out of 1.5 million inhabitants. In other areas, cases of infection due to the massive presence of faithful and pilgrims are also confirmed. In the Nizhny Novgorod region, where the Diveevo monastery is located (photo 2) where the remains of St. Seraphim of Sarov rest, 76 residents were found positive, and some nuns (the older ones) died. The cause of these infections, as communicated by the councilor of the governor of the Njuta Federmesser region, is certainly attributable to the large influx of pilgrims.

The patriarchate of Moscow, after many controversies and some suspensions in recent days due to the failure to comply with the rules of protection from the coronavirus, has decided not to intervene to repress the great pilgrimages, which for climatic reasons in Russia take place between June and August. The Orthodox hierarchy and Patriarch Kirill (Gundjaev) himself are already highly criticized for their excessive submission to civil authorities, and the fear is that a kind of "clandestine orthodoxy" inspired by monks and starets will spread, in conflict with the ecclesiastical authorities.