Catholic Christians in Moldova will go to church tonight, at 8.30 PM, to attend the Easter Vigil. This year, Catholics celebrate Easter a week earlier than Orthodox Christians. The vicar of the Roman-Catholic Diocese in Chisinau, Benone Farcas, has told Info-Prim Neo that the difference in observance between the Catholic and Orthodox churches is due to the rite, but the mystery of the Resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ is unique and the basis for both churches. “The rite is different, the prayers are read differently and the chants differ. The Liturgy in the Orthodox Church begins at midnight and ends in the morning, but Catholics celebrate it depending on solemnity and can last only 2-3 hours. The traditions are the same: decorated eggs, cakes, visits to relatives, friends, greeting them “Christ is risen!”. After the Liturgy, the food is blessed and people go home”, said vicar Benone Farcas. The priest added that after fragments from the Scriptures are read and the Resurrections of Christ is proclaimed, adult believers are baptized. The Resurrection Night is followed by the Octave of Easter. “It’s an 8 day period, during which celebrations take place with special solemnity. This week includes the Low Sunday or St. Thomas Sunday, he who didn’t believe in Christ’s Resurrection even after seeing him. Some call it the White Sunday as a while ago people wore white clothes a week after being baptized, symbolizing spiritual purification”, said Benone Farcas. The Paschal period lasts 50 days until the Pentecost, when Christians celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit. According to the vicar of the Roman-Catholic Diocese in Chisinau, there are about 20,000 Catholic Christians in Moldova, including those on the left bank of the Nistru River.