An emergency message from the heads of the churches in Jerusalem, released on Sunday, 10 Adar 5778.

While setting a historic precedent, the heads of the churches announce the closure of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, as a measure of protest in the light of the systematic attack against churches and the Christian minority in the Holy Land.

We, the heads of the churches in charge of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the status quo in the various Christian holy sites in Jerusalem – the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, the Custody of Terra Santa and the Armenian Patriarchate – follow the systematic campaign against the churches and the Christian community in the Holy Land in flagrant violation of the existing status quo.

Recently, this systematic campaign reached an unprecedented level when the Jerusalem municipality issued outrageous foreclosure notices and orders to seize property, assets and bank accounts of the churches for alleged municipal taxes, a step that contradicted the historical position of the churches in the holy city of Jerusalem and their relations with the civil authorities. These actions violate existing agreements and international obligations guaranteeing the rights of the churches, in what appears to be an attempt to weaken the Christian presence in Jerusalem.

The systematic campaign of hurting churches and Christians is now reaching its climax when a discriminatory and racist bill is introduced that targets only the Christian community in the Holy Land. This loathsome bill is expected to be advanced today at a meeting of the ministerial committee and, if approved, will make the expropriation of church lands possible. This reminds us of laws of a similar nature that were enacted against Jews in dark periods in Europe.
This systematic and unprecedented attack against the Christians in the Holy Land severely violates the most fundamental basic rights, sovereignty and antiquity of the churches, trampling on the delicate fabric of relations between the Christian community and the authorities for decades.

Therefore, recalling the Declaration of the Patriarchs and Heads of Local Churches in Jerusalem of 14 February 2018 and in their previous declaration of September 2017 and as a protest, we decided to take this unprecedented step of closing the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

Together with all the heads of the Churches in the Holy Land we stand united, steadfast and determined in defending our rights and our property.
We pray that this historic crisis in the Holy City will be resolved.

Theophilus III Francesco Patton Norhan of Nigeria,
The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem,
The Custos, Guardian of the Holy Land,
The Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)