Turf wars at Christianity's epicenter

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

'The Mother of All Churches' - One site in Jerusalem unites, and divides, Christians

Excerpt:

In 1757, after Greek Orthodox clergy violently wrested majority control of the church from the Roman Catholics, the Ottoman rulers of Jerusalem decreed a status quo for the city's holy sites. For the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, this meant that control was split primarily among the three patriarchates of Jerusalem--the Latin, the Greek and the Armenian--and secondarily among the churches of Egypt (Coptic), Syria and Ethiopia. The arrangement, formalized in 1852, has been enforced by the British, Jordanians and, today, Israel.

But this has not created harmony. Back in 1869, Mark Twain visited and noticed the denominations chanting, sometimes simultaneously, in their own languages: "It has been proven conclusively that they can not worship together around the grave of the Saviour of the World in peace." And the cease-fire's fragility persists to this day.

Five years ago, Ethiopians, exiled since 1658 to quarters on the roof, resented the placement of a Coptic priest's chair there, and the ensuing brawl sent 11 monks--seven Ethiopians and four Copts--to the hospital. A couple of years later, Greek clerics tussled with Franciscans.

The turf wars also paralyze maintenance. A wooden ladder has rested on a ledge over the church's entrance for at least 150 years. The edicule, braced with scaffolding, is falling apart. The Chapel of St. Nicodemus, over which both the Armenians and the Syrians claim ownership, has for that reason never been restored. To prevent denominational disputes, the very keys to the church have since the days of Saladin been entrusted to Muslims from the Nuseibeh and Joudeh families.

Comments: I don't know and I don't care if this was the site of Christ's crucifixion and burial. I know He was crucified, buried, AND ROSE AGAIN!. I did find this intesesting and ironic: "To prevent denominational disputes, the very keys to the church have since the days of Saladin been entrusted to Muslims from the Nuseibeh and Joudeh families"!