May 1, 2003

Relations between the Greek and Armenian Orthodox churches in Jerusalem have suffered a blow following strong disagreements over a major Orthodox Easter ceremony at one of Christianity's holiest sites.

Thousands of worshipers were able to attend the ritual at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City because of a last-minute deal between the feuding factions, brokered by the Israeli police. "Thank God, despite the tensions, there was not any kind of episode," said Greek Orthodox Archbishop Aristarchos in an interview with ENI.

The cost of the temporary compromise, however, has been the widening of divisions between the two churches. Last year clerics from the rival congregations had come to blows at the ceremony. This year, Israeli police had threatened to bar attendance to all but a few hundred worshipers if the sides did not reach an accord.

Still, the two churches failed to reach a permanent agreement over the ceremony of the Holy Fire, which is one of the highlights of the Orthodox church calendar in Jerusalem and takes place on Easter Saturday according to the Orthodox calendar.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is built at the site of a rock cave said to be the tomb where Jesus was buried after being crucified. As part of the Holy Fire ceremony, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch enters the tomb and emerges with a flame which is then used to light the candles of the cheering crowd waiting outside.

The Greek Orthodox Church claims that only its representative has historical authority to enter the tomb during the ceremony and that the Armenian representative must wait outside. Archbishop Aristarchos said that this year the ritual passed off peacefully because the Armenians agreed not enter the tomb at the same time as the Greek Orthodox. The archbishop said Greek Orthodox leaders would make every effort to achieve reconciliation with the Armenian Orthodox representatives.

"No one can deny that relations have been disturbed. But both of us need to try not to alienate the other any further," he said. "I hope we will be successful, with God's help, and that we can reach a [long-standing] agreement without any involvement with the Israelis."

ENI