Metropolitan Athinagoras of Belgium presided over the Resurrection Service and Divine Liturgy behind closed doors due to the pandemic at the formerly crowded, but this year empty Cathedral of Saints Archangels Michael and Gabriel in Brussels.
Due to the measures taken to combat the coronavirus spread, the Orthodox Christians also had to celebrate Easter at home, with sadness, of course, for not being able to attend the Divine Liturgy at their temples. However, they celebrated the Resurrection of Jesus Christ in their hearts.
In the Benelux Countries, in particular, and in Western Europe, in general, the Orthodox community is growing, especially with the arrival of new immigrants. The number of Orthodox Christians in Belgium is estimated at more than 150,000, served by almost 100 clergymen in more than 80 parishes.
There are polyglot parishes such as Greek, Russian, Serbian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Georgian, Ukrainian, Polish, and Arabic. There are also parishes where the services are held in Dutch, French and German.
Source: Metropolis of Belgium