Located in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem, the tomb has been covered by marble cladding since at least 1555 A.D., and most likely centuries earlier.Read more

As a result major Christian denominations, including the Catholic Church, have promised to reopen the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

It had been closed for three days as a protest against the proposed taxation regime.

The church - revered as the site where Jesus was crucified and resurrected - reopened yesterday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said a professional team would negotiate with church officials to "formulate a solution".

Jerusalem's major Christian churches say they are looking forward to engaging with the team.

They hope Jerusalem "remains a place where the three monotheistic faiths may live and thrive together."

Jerusalem's Mayor Nir Barkat says the taxes would affect only commercial properties, not houses of worship.

He said other cities followed similar practices worldwide.

"As the mayor of the city of Jerusalem, my goal and role is to make sure people pay their taxes," he said before the tax plans were suspended.

"We have no negative or bad intentions here."

The churches say Barkat's taxation plans undermine a longstanding status quo.

They say their non-church properties - such as hotels, restaurants and offices - have a religious need, as they provide services to pilgrims and local church members.

Israeli Cabinet Minister Tzachi Hanegbi will lead the government's negotiating committee.

Committee members will include representatives from Jerusalem and the finance, foreign and interior ministries.

"The team will negotiate with the representatives of the churches to resolve the issue," a government statement said.

The Prime Minister's has also asked Hanegbi to look into land sales in Jerusalem, following a request by the heads of major churches.

Until he has reviewed the issue, all pending legislation on land sales will be shelved.

Source

• Crux Now
• Haaretz
• Samoa Observer
• Image: Catholic Bridge

The tomb's structural integrity has been a concern for over 100 years.

The tomb has just been reopened after extensive renovations.

Moropoulou says the collapse will be a slow, but catastrophic process.

The problem is the tomb itself is on unstable ground.

Its foundations are made of a mixture of "tunnels, rubble and crumbling foundation mortar".

Evidently the unstable foundations are partly a result of the limestone quarry where it was built.

This was once used as a cemetery for upper class Jews.

A lack of funds is a big problem with stabilising the foundations.

Scientists are working with Church authorities to determine the best plan for restoration work on the foundation, which is estimated to cost 6 million euro and would take about 10 months.

The tomb and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre sees nearly 4 million visitors a year.

Source

• CNA
• Image: You Tube

The last time the tomb was restored was in 1810. It is considered one of the most sacred sites in Christianity.

Inside the tomb is a burial bed made of rock, where Jesus's body is believed to have been placed.Read more

Such a move would bar thousands of pilgrims and visitors from the church that is considered to be the most holy Christian shrine on earth.

Already the Israeli company that supplies water to the property has frozen the bank account of the Greek Orthodox Church, which has the major ownership rights to the church. Ownership is shared with Catholics and Armenian Orthodox, while Coptic Orthodox, Syriac Orthodox an Ethiopian Orthodox have rights to use some parts.

The Greek Orthodox say they are now unable to pay stipends and salaries for some 500 priests and the 2000 teachers in its 30 schools. Cheques have bounced for services such as telephones, electricity and food.

For more than a century the Church of the Holy Sepulchre operated without paying for water under successive Ottoman, British mandate, Jordanian and Israeli governments. Then in 1996 the Jerusalem municipality handed its water supply to a corporation called Hagihon Inc.

In 2004 Hagihon sent the church a bill for 3.7 million shekels ($NZ1.1 million). Officials at the church, thinking it was a mistake, ignored it and Hagihon did not press for payment.

Earlier this year Hagihon sent a revised demand for 9 million shekels, covering seven years plus interest on the unpaid debt.

The two sides began negotiations, assisted by representatives of government departments and the municipality. According to the Greek Orthodox patriarchate, an agreement appeared likely when Hagihon suddenly enforced a court order to freeze the patriarchate's bank account.

The patriarchate has written to Israel's prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, and president, Shimon Peres, for support. It also plans to approach Russian president Vladimir Putin, United States president Barack Obama, King Abdullah of Jordan and the prime ministers of Greece and Cyprus.

Hagihon says it is prohibited by the Israeli Water Authority from giving any party an exemption from water charges.

Sources:

Associated Press

The Independent

The Guardian

Image: Seetheholyland.net

The Joudeh and Nuseibeh families, one generation after another, got the job of holding the keys and opening the door to Christianity's most sacred site because the Christians in charge of it could not get on together.

"The Churches wouldn't go along with each other, so the key was taken away from the dominant Church and entrusted to a neutral monotheistic faith that embraces the Christ as a prophet — Islam" confesses Father Samuel Aghoyan, Armenian Superior of the Holy Sepulchre.

Continue reading