On April 18, the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Custos of the Holy Land sent a joint letter to the President of Israel, Isaac Herzog. This was announced on his Facebook page by the Chancellor of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Archimandrite Koryun Baghdasaryan.
After informing the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem about the restrictions decided by the Israeli police regarding the “Holy Light” ceremony, two days after the publication of the communiqué issued by the Patriarchate, the officer in charge of the Christian section of the Jerusalem Old City police station informed that the number of Armenian participants in the ceremony had been raised from 200 to 450.
The Patriarchate also expressed its disagreement with this number and undertook to write a joint letter of protest with the rightful communities.
“Today, the spiritual heads of the three rightful communities — the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Custos of the Holy Land — sent the following joint letter to the highly esteemed President of Israel, Mr. Isaac Herzog,” it was stated in the archimandrite’s post, to which the clerics’ letter was attached.
“Your Excellency, President of Israel
Dear Mr. Isaac Herzog
We extend to you our warm greetings.
Through this joint letter, we express our disagreement with the unacceptable restrictions and the fixed number proposed for the Easter celebrations.
On April 11, 2022, the police informed that only 1,000 Christian faithful had been permitted to participate in the Holy Resurrection ceremony on Easter Sunday, although it has been accepted that thousands of people enter the church on the occasion of this feast. Moreover, the police announced that of those 1,000, only 500 would be allowed entry into the Christian Quarter and the rooftop overlooking the church courtyard,” it was stated in the letter.
The heads of the churches, who are responsible for the event, express their deep concern and disagreement regarding this unjust and inexplicable decision, which restricts the right of Christian pilgrims to freely worship their faith on this, for them, most important day of the year.
“This Holy Divine Liturgy, which has been obtained through the enduring cooperation of the churches and has continued for centuries, has never been a cause for security-related concerns.
The worldwide Christian community interprets these restrictions as an unjust targeting of the Christian minority.
The Status Quo Committee is committed to a safe ceremony and requests that Israel support and allow Christians to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ without restrictions.
The Status Quo Committee calls upon Israel, as always, to ensure the right of the churches to practice their customs and ceremonies, and to allow Christian pilgrims to freely enter the Old City and proceed towards the Holy Sepulchre.
After various and sometimes severe restrictions due to the pandemic, as well as two years of difficult struggle, it is vital that all communities be allowed once again to worship freely and without restrictions.
We are confident in Your Excellency’s wise intervention, and taking this opportunity, we wish that you celebrate the feast of Holy Easter in health and happiness, together with your family and loved ones,” concluded the clerics’ letter.
