Armenian Patriarchate Concern Over Status Quo Violation

JERUSALEM

For Christians all over the world in general, and the faithful who hold the fort in the Holy Land in particular, Easter should be the most sublime of all feasts in their religious calendar. But often it is not, its sanctity marred by internecine conflict. The festive season that begins with Maundy Thursday, which marks the washing of the feet of the 12 Disciples, commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ and is meant to engender a rebirth of faith and belief in the religion of peace he preached two thousand years ago. Jerusalem, regarded as the center of the world by the three Guardians of the sacred sites in the Holy Land (the Latin Catholic, the Greek and Armenian churches), literally erupts into a frenzy of religious zeal over the two week period of the festivities. The euphoria is palpable in every alley, every nook and cranny of the Old City where the tomb of Christ is traditionally said to be located. And it is often transmuted into violence, with sometimes very unpleasant aftereffects. The three Guardians endeavor to keep relations among the various Christian churches harmonious, but it is a daunting task because of territorial jealousies, church sources say. The Guardians enjoy exclusive proprietary rights, guaranteed by the Ottoman Turkish Sultan Abdul Majid, under a “status quo” arrangement which encapsulates a pledge made over 150 years ago by the ruling potentate, and which “defines, regulates and maintains, without change” these rights. But occasionally, these precepts are violated, often with bloody results. The most recent violation, during the Orthodox Palm Sunday, was perpetrated by the Greeks, within the Holy Sepulcher cathedral, the Armenians charge. According to a statement by the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, a Greek monk positioned himself within the Edicule, a vestibule that lies just outside the entryway to the Tomb of Christ, during the Armenian solemn procession. “Armenian priests persuaded the Greek monk to exit from the Edicule and peacefully led him out,” it said. However, it claims the Israeli Police then interfered and attempted to reinstate the monk inside the Edicule, but were met by a fierce protests from the Armenian clergymen, resulting in a scuffle between the two sides. The Armenian Patriarchate labeled the presence of the Greek monk inside the Edicule as a serious violation of the “status quo.” It said it had made its position clear that on the Feast of the Holy Cross, the 1st Sunday of Great Lent, Palm Sunday and Holy Fire Saturday, when the Armenians are “in possession” of the Holy Tomb, the Greeks should refrain from placing their monk inside the Edicule. The rights of the Armenian Orthodox church in the Holy Places have been enshrined in an 1829 “Firman” (official edict) that stipulates that “no interference or intervention should ever be allowed to occur in respect of the celebration of mass and other processions of the [Armenian] community”. “The Armenian Patriarchate views the presence of the Greek monk inside the Edicule not only as blatant interference but also as yet another attempt to challenge the well-established rights of the Armenians, which have been recognized and preserved for centuries,” the Armenian Patriarchate said. The entitlement of the Armenians to exclusivity in the Holy Sites on the dates in question is clearly described in the 1890 “Book of Ceremonies in the Holy Places” and states unequivocally that “during the days that Armenians have solemn religious ceremonies the Greek monk has no right to enter the Edicule.” The Patriarchate noted that “this latest incident comes on the heels of another dispute with the Greek Orthodox concerning the Holy Fire Ceremony on Holy Saturday that has remained unresolved since 2002 despite attempts by the Armenian Patriarchate to seek mediation through Israeli authorities.” It pointed out that hundreds of Armenian worshippers from Jerusalem and throughout the world are expected at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher for the upcoming Holy Fire Ceremony on Holy Saturday which falls on April 26. “The Armenian Patriarchate shares the concern of the Armenian world community that Armenian worshippers may be unable to attend freely services to be held in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on Holy Saturday, one of the holiest days of the Armenian religious calendar,” the statement said.