Shlomo Lkhoolkhoon,

The Article says it all.

Fush BaShlomo Lkhoolkhoon,
Yuhannon
Monastery atop Church of Holy Sepulchre in danger of collapse
By Jonathan Lis

The historic Deir al-Sultan monastery on the roof of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is in danger of collapse.

The church is one of the most sacred sites in Christendom. By tradition, it is the site both of Golgotha where the New Testament says that Jesus was crucified,[2] and the place where Jesus was buried (the sepulchre).

The monastery's two chapels and the tiny rooms where its monks live could crumble, injuring the many tourists who visit the site, as well as the monks who live there, and even the ancient Church of the Holy Sepulchre itself.

An engineer who examined the structures recently said the complex was a "danger to human life." As long ago as 2004, before the situation worsened to its present emergency state, the Interior Ministry said it would pay for renovations. However, because of a long-standing dispute between the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, whose clergy live at the site, and the Coptic Church, which claims ownership of it, the parties have not managed to reach an agreement that would allow renovations to proceed. The Interior Ministry has made clear to various church officials over the years that it would pay for the work only if the various ownership issues were resolved among the denominations.

The head of the Ethiopian Church in Jerusalem, Archbishop Matthias, sent a letter about 10 days ago to Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit and to the minister in charge of Jerusalem affairs, Rafi Eitan, in which he warned of the sorry state of the complex as well as of his unwillingness to come to an agreement with the Copts. With regard to the Interior Ministry's demand that the two denominations come to terms, the archbishop said: "This condition is completely unacceptable to us, since we do not recognize any right of the Coptic church in the area in question. Moreover, it is inconceivable that the implementation of emergency repairs at the holy site would be conditioned on the consent of the Coptic church. Indeed, there is disagreement between us and the Coptic church regarding the rights at the site in question, but that is precisely the reason we are turning to the Israeli authorities, as a neutral factor, to carry out the necessary repairs."

The church commissioned an engineer's report, submitted by Yigal Bergman of the construction supervision firm Milav, who wrote, among other things that the complex was in a "dangerous state of construction. The structures are full of serious engineering damage that creates safety hazards and endangers the lives of the monks and the visitors. This is an emergency ... also due to the immediate danger to the site that would damage other parts of the nearby churches." The report also highlighted dangerous problems in the electrical and sewerage infrastructure of the ancient buildings.

Deir al-Sultan monastery contains 26 small rooms for the use of Ethiopian monks, four service and storage rooms, a large open courtyard and two chapels, one above the other, which are entered from the courtyard and exit into the entrance plaza of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre below.

This is far from the first dispute between the denominations that share space in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre regarding its maintenance and the use of its various areas. Three large denominations have control of the church: the Greek Orthodox, the Armenian Orthodox and the Roman Catholics. Smaller denominations with rights in the church include the Ethiopian Orthodox and the Copts, as well as the Syriac Orthodox. One of the best known disputes between the communities surrounds the question of which denomination has the right to remove a ladder that was placed on a ledge outside an upper-floor window in the 19th century. Because no agreement has been forthcoming, the ladder stands there to this day, above the main entrance to the church.

ARGH!!

SHAME ON ALL...who dare not get along on the sight where Christ died and rose from the dead for each and every one of them!!

What an example to the Israelis of love and brotherly cooperation;what an example to the world. (said in sarcasm) We crucify our Lord over and over again with such ethnic and denominational zealotry, arrogance and fanaticism.

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner.

Unworthily,
Alice

Even more amazing is that these two Churches "at loggerheads" are in full communion with one another!

Fr. Serge

arrg why can't we get along
priests having fist fights arguments about ladders (shakes head)

Jerusalem: Monastery on top of Holy Sepulchre in danger of collapse
The structure, which is at the heart of a dispute between the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and the Coptic Church, could collapse if major repairs are not carried out. Israel is willing to foot the bill, but the failure of the two Churches to agree over ownership is blocking the undertaking.

Jerusalem (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The Deir al-Sultan Monastery on the roof of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is in danger of collapse. The monastery's two chapels and the tiny rooms where Ethiopian Orthodox monks live are at the heart of dispute with the Coptic Church which claims ownership. Now they could crumble, injuring the many tourists who visit the site, as well as the monks who live there.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the greatest symbol of the Christian tradition in the Holy Land where according to the New Testament Jesus was crucified, buried and risen, is at risk and could suffer serious damages if the monastery should collapse.

An engineer issued the warning after recently examining the structure; in his words, the complex was a “danger to human life.”

Israel’s Interior Ministry has proposed to repair it on the condition that the Coptic Church and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church come to an agreement over ownership.

In a letter to Israeli Interior Minister Meir Sheetri, the head of the Ethiopian Church in Jerusalem, Archbishop Matthias, said that this condition was “unacceptable to us, since we do not recognize any right of the Coptic Church in the area in question (i.e. the Deir al-Sultan Monastery).” The net result is that everything is at a standstill.
http://new.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=13420

Shlomo Administator,

We need to merge this thread with Pani Rose's

Fush BaShlomo,
Yuhannon

I propose an ecumenical pilgrimage composed of members of the various churches that have rights in the Church. Our goal will be to remove the ladder and help usher in an era of cooperation.

I'll bring the bullet-proof gear.

Dave

Shlomo Lkhoolkhoon,

Here is a followup.

Fush BaShlomo Lkhoolkhoon,
Yuhannon

Saving Christianity from itself

By Haaretz Editorial

Israel's responsibility for the holy places in Jerusalem sometimes involves it in disputes and power struggles between religious communities. There is no better example than the centuries-old dispute between the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and the Coptic Church over the control of the Deir al-Sultan Monastery on the roof of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City.

According to Christian tradition, Deir al-Sultan (the sultan's monastery) was part of the ninth stop on the Via Dolorosa, the path Jesus took to his crucifixion. The Ethiopians and Copts fought over this sacred site and all the governments that ruled here were forced to deal with the dispute.

In the days of Ottoman, British and Jordanian rule in East Jerusalem, the Copts received preferential treatment. At Easter 1970, under Israeli rule, when the Copts went to pray in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Ethiopian monks took advantage of the situation and changed the locks at the entrances to Deir al-Sultan. The Israeli police posted at the site to prevent violent clashes did not intervene, and since then the Ethiopians have controlled the monastery.

Over the years several attempts have been made to settle the dispute and a special ministerial committee was set up for this purpose. Israel was required to take into consideration its sensitive relations with Ethiopia and Egypt, where the Coptic Church is based. But the situation did not change and experts say there is no chance of reaching an agreement between the rival churches.

The problem is that structures at Deir al-Sultan are deteriorating. At the beginning of the week, Haaretz cited a report of an engineer hired by the Ethiopian Church who described "an emergency situation" at the site. He warned that the structures were in danger of collapse, which would jeopardize monks' and visitors' lives and damage the Church of the Holy Sepulchre itself.

The Ethiopian patriarch told Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit and Jerusalem Affairs Minister Rafi Eitan of the building's condition and warned them of the danger. The Interior Ministry suggested renovating the Church of the Holy Sepulchre at the ministry's expense four years ago, but conditioned this on an agreement between the Ethiopians and Copts. No agreement was reached and the Ethiopian patriarch even objected to it explicitly in his approach to the ministers.

Due to the risk to the lives of the monks and visitors and the danger to one of the world's holiest sites, the government must not neglect the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It must exercise its authority to maintain public safety and repair the building, taking great care not to intervene or take a stand in the fundamental dispute between the churches.

Such an intervention has precedents: In 1919 and 1927, under British rule, the Jerusalem municipality carried out vital repairs in Deir al-Sultan, then in the Copts' hands. Mayor Uri Lupolianski has said he would try to mediate between the churches. Even with good will, it is hard to see Lupolianski resolving such an ancient dispute. He would be better off working out with the government how best to save the Christian holy site from collapse, drawing on precedents and consulting with the Egyptian and Ethiopian governments.

Since they have to repair what is there, maybe they can just replace it with twin monasteries

I wonder which Ethiopian Patriarch the Israeli's recognize... and if he is the same Ethiopian Patriarch the Copts recognize.

Last time I looked, "Israel" wouldn't even recognize the Ethiopian Jews!

Fr. Serge

Really? Don't they recognize the despora? If so they should recognize Ethiopian Jews.

A decision by the Israeli government to bring to an end the immigration of the long-separated Ethiopian Jewish community was reported on the BBC a few days ago. If someone finds a link - as I'm going to be away for a few days, please post it in Town Hall rather than going off-topic on this thread.

Many years,

Neil