Jerusalem churches condemn ‘unreasonable’ Israeli restrictions for Holy Light ceremony

AMMAN — Jerusalem churches have condemned the “unreasonable” restrictions imposed by Israeli forces for the upcoming Holy Light ceremony on Saturday in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the day before Easter, according to the Julian calendar.

In a joint statement, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, the Custody of the Holy Land and the Armenian Patriarchate said: “Each year, the Churches coordinate with the authorities to ensure this ceremony can take place without issue. 

“Notably, last year barriers were imposed by the Israel Authority throughout the Old City that made impossible the access of our local Christian Communities pilgrims from attending the Holy Light Ceremony in the Holy Sepulchre, impeding their freedom to worship and witness the miracle of the resurrection.” 

“This year, after many attempts made in good will, we are not able to coordinate with the Israeli authorities, as they are enforcing unreasonable and unprecedented restrictions on access to the Holy Sepulchre — more so than last year. These heavy-handed restrictions will limit access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Holy Light Ceremony. Police are unfairly and inappropriately placing the burden on the churches to issue invitations, while tying the churches’ hands with unreasonable restrictions that will prevent worshippers from attending, particularly our local community. This makes difficult our coordination with the police,” the statement said.

“As we, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, the Custody of the Holy Land and the Armenian Patriarchate clearly stated in our various statements, we shall continue to uphold the Status Quo customs, and the ceremony will be held as customary for two millennia and all who wish to worship with us are invited to attend. With that made clear, we leave the authorities to act as they will. The churches will freely worship and do so in peace,” concluded the statement.