Church Of The Holy Sepluchre Closed For Three Days In Taxation Protest (Courtesy Of The Eastern Diocese Of The Armenian Church)

(Courtesy of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America)

Pilgrims visiting the holiest site in Christendom, Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre, found its doors shuttered this week, in protest against proposed legislation that would enable the government of Israel to tax and even confiscate properties owned by the city’s Christian churches.
 
Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem Archbishop Nourhan Manougian was among the high-ranking church signatories to an official statement protesting the municipal tax, called the “Arnona.” The statement called the proposed legislation “contrary to the historic position between the Churches within the Holy City of Jerusalem and the civil authorities across the centuries.”
 
The Armenian, Greek, and Latin patriarchates are the longstanding joint-custodians of the Holy Sepulchre, the site of Christ’s tomb, and its vast surrounding complex in Jerusalem’s Old City.
 
Joining the Greek, Armenian, and Latin patriarchs in the statement were leaders of the Coptic Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox, Ethiopian Orthodox, Melkite-Catholic, Maronite, Episcopal, Evangelical Lutheran, Syrian Catholic, and Armenian Catholic churches.
 
The decision to close the site as a sign of protest—effectively making it off-limits to thousands of pilgrims and tourists for the duration—was an extremely rare step, not undertaken lightly, but deemed necessary because the municipality’s plan to alter the religious tax exemption for churches would decisively weaken the Christian presence in Jerusalem.
 
“The civil authorities have always recognized and respected the great contribution of the Christian Churches, which invest billions in building schools, hospitals, and homes, many for the elderly and disadvantaged, in the Holy Land,” the statement said.
 
Click here to read the protest statement of Jerusalem’s Christian leaders.
 
The Holy Sepulchre remained closed for three days, until Tuesday, February 27—when Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat officially suspended the plan to collect taxes from Christian churches. An announcement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said that he and the mayor had formed a team to “formulate a solution” to the matter, by negotiating with church officials.
 
The Christian leaders have agreed to re-open the Holy Sepulchre, stating that “the churches look forward to engage” with the team to ensure Jerusalem “remains a place where the three monotheistic faiths may live and thrive together.”