9 replies to this topic

[annannimusss]

Action Required for The Holy Fire Ceremony
The Holy Fire Ceremony is a religious ceremony that takes place on the Saturday of Holy Week, within the Tomb of Jesus Christ in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

Christians believe that, during the ceremony, the Holy Fire descends from Heaven and lights up the lamp within the Tomb of Christ, thereby symbolizing the Resurrection of Christ and his victory over death. The descent of the fire from heaven is one of the greatest miracles of Christianity, being the divine revelation of Jesus himself. For this reason, the Holy Saturday ceremony is the holiest one for the Eastern Churches. These churches include the Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox and Jacobite-Syrians; all participate in the Holy Saturday ceremony.

The ceremony is conducted according to precise and clear rules and arrangements, which have been in existence for hundreds of years. These rules were anchored in the Ottoman-period Status Quo arrangement for the Holy Places.

The material part of the ceremony, acceptance of the holy fire, is conducted within the edicule of the Holy Sepulchre; the edicule is made up of two chambers - the Angels Chapel and the Holy Tomb Chapel.

According to the centuries-old practice, at the highlight of the ceremony, the Greek Patriarch and the Armenian Patriarch, or his representative, enter the Holy Tomb together, kneel down in front of the Tomb together, and witness the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire together.

The Holy Fire is transferred by the Greek Patriarch and the Armenian Patriarch, or his representative, to members of the Eastern Churches through two windows located in the wall of the Angel’s Chapel.

During Easter of 2002, the newly elected Greek Patriarch, Irineos I, whose first time it was participating in the abovementioned ceremony, incited a conflict inside the Holy Tomb with the Armenian Patriarch’s representative, by demanding a deviation from the Status Quo arrangements. Since that time, the issue remains unresolved.

According to the Greek Patriarch’s statement regarding the ceremony in 2002, he said that the Armenian Bishop must not leave the Holy Tomb's Chapel first, and demanded that he leave first, contrary to the binding order of the ceremony. It is notable to mention that the predecessors of Irineos I have entered the Holy Tomb’s Chapel together with the Armenian Patriarch, or his representative, for the Holy Fire Ceremony. The Greek Metropolitan Archbishops Daniel and Cornelius have themselves been witnesses to this.

Prior to the Holy Fire Ceremony of 2003, the Greek Patriarch altered his previous statement and announced his objection in principle that the Armenian Patriarch, or his representative, had no right to enter the Holy Tomb's Chapel during the ceremony. In essence, he said the Armenian Patriarch, or his representative, had no right to enter the Holy Tomb's Chapel at all, witness the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire, and light his torch directly from the Holy Fire lamp.

Prior to the Easter celebrations of 2003, and after the Greek Patriarchate refused every attempt at negotiation or compromise between the churches within a forum of religious scholars, the State of Israel summoned both parties around a table to solve the issue. Under Israeli Law, the Government has the exclusive authority to attain an effective and fair resolution of any dispute pertaining to the Holy Places in the Holy Land.

Instead of settling the issue immediately, and enforcing the Status Quo, the Israeli government pretended to have a lack of knowledge regarding the situation and requested that both churches present it with their evidence. The government requested this evidence on what each side considered to be the binding Status Quo arrangement, so that it could issue a decision during the year preceding the 2004 ceremony.

At the same time, the churches and the Israeli police reached an interim confidential agreement for the Holy Fire Ceremony of 2004 to ensure that peace and security prevailed for the event. We believed that as soon as our evidence through historic documents were presented, the Government would be able to decide on the matter.

After the ceremony of 2004, we acted as agreed and conducted a thorough investigation of not only our archives, but the archives of the Sharia courts in Israel and abroad (including the Ottoman archives). We collected the testimony of living witnesses who had conducted the Holy Fire Ceremony as representatives of the Armenian Patriarch, and compiled various legal documents and scientific books. We also hired the services of an expert, Dr. Shmuel Berkovich, and furnished the Government with his expert opinion to establish our position.

Dr. Berkovich concluded that the Armenian Patriarch, or his representative, has had an exclusive right for hundreds of years to enter the Holy Tomb on Holy Saturday together with the Greek Patriarch. He continued to state that the Armenian Patriarch, or his representative, had the right to kneel in front of the Holy Tomb together with the Greek Patriarch, had the right to witness the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire together, had the right to light his candle directly from the Holy Fire together, and had the right to exit the Holy Tomb holding their lit candles, which they would then spread to their respective communities. Dr. Berkovich emphasized that the Government of Israel must uphold these specific rights of the Armenians Orthodox Church.

Dr. Berkovich’s expert opinion was presented to the Israeli Government, who once again appointed the former Minister, N. Sharansky, to deal with this issue. The Armenian Patriarchate was informed however, that the Israeli Government would not be willing to decide the matter. Both churches were once again asked to promise restraint during the ceremony until a decision was issued by the Government. The ceremony of 2004 was again held under a heavy police presence.

During these many months, the Greek Patriarchate has not honored its agreement to present any evidence or documents. Prior to the Easter celebrations of 2005, the Armenian Patriarchate petitioned the Israeli Supreme Court of Justice, and requested the Court's instructions to the Israeli Government regarding the settlement of this sensitive and most-important issue.

The Armenian Patriarchate felt compelled to petition the Court due to the reluctance of the Israeli Government to resolve the conflict in a timely manner, as well as the lack of an opinion emanating from the Greek Patriarchate. The Armenian Patriarchate is looking to protect its rights pursuant to the Status Quo arrangement.

In its response to the Supreme Court, the Greek Patriarchate declared that the expert opinion on behalf of the Greek Church would not be submitted until 1 September 2005. Once again, contrary to its promises to the Supreme Court, the Greek Patriarchate did not submit an opinion until 2007.

In January of 2006, the Supreme Court decided to dismiss the petition of the Armenian Church for several reasons including: the impracticality of formulating a solution to the dispute during the short period remaining until the 2006 Holy Fire Ceremony, the fact that national elections were looming ahead, and that the Government that would have been required to deliberate on the conflict would not be the same Government against which the Armenian petition was filed. Although a new Government was elected over 10 months ago, no steps have still been taken to address this most-sensitive issue.

Following the Holy Saturday ceremony of 2005, the Armenian Patriarchate once again appealed to the Greek Patriarchate in order for the parties to discuss the issue between them in a peaceful manner, but to no avail.

It was not until January of 2007 that the Armenian Patriarchate and the Israeli Government received copies of the study of the Greek Patriarchate’s historian regarding the Holy Fire Ceremony. The Armenian Patriarchate has studied their evidence and found nothing that overshadows the undeniable right of the Armenian Church, and/or contradicts or refutes Dr. S. Berkovich's expert opinion.

For the last five years, the Armenian Patriarchate has been knocking on the doors of the Israeli Prime Minister, the other Government Ministers, the Knesset Members and the Attorney General, requesting that a decision be issued. Five years on, only promises have been given without any decisions.

There is no argument that it is the duty and responsibility of the Israeli Government to resolve issues and conflicts in the Holy Places as set forth by established international law principles, as well as the laws of the State of Israel.

We beseech you, collectively and individually, to petition the Israeli Government to act with a sense of duty and responsibility, and to uphold the centuries-old rights of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

We urge all of our Armenian brothers and sisters around the world to email and fax the attached petition in your name, or the name of your organization, to the important Ministers of the Israeli Government listed below. In case you are unable to send the attached petition to the fax numbers and email addresses listed below, you may send it to your local Israeli Embassy or Consulate.

Please demand that this issue be resolved before the day of the Holy Fire Ceremony on 7 April 2007, so that we may together celebrate and give thanks and glory to the Risen Christ.

http://www.armenianc...tory.php?id=358

[annannimusss]

Please all of you weather or not you belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church email this petition, this is for the Armenian people and the church.It is very important that we keep a part of our culture and traditions going,we have lost many of our traditions,let us not lose this one to.

Please Download The petition here: http://www.armenianc...tion.letter.doc



Mr. Ehud Olmert, Prime Minister

Fax - (+972) 2-6705475

E-mail - PMO.HEB@it.pmo.gov.il



Ms. Zippi Livni, Foreign Minister

Fax - (+972) 6285438-2



Mr. Avi Dichter, Interior Security Minister

Fax - (+972) 5428039-2



Prof. Daniel Friedman, Minister of Justice

Fax - (+972) 2-6287757

E-mail – mancal@justice.gov.il



Mr. Menahem Mazuz, Attorney General

Fax - (+972) 6467001-2



Mr. Roni Baron, Minister of the Interior

Fax - (+972) 2-5666376

E-mail – SAR@moin.gov.il

http://www.armenianc...tory.php?id=358

[Sip]

Isn't it time we moved beyond the "holy fire" days?

[annannimusss]

No,why should we,it is a tradition that should be kept.It is something that is part of the Armenian Church and the church is part of every Armenian.

[gmd]

Isn't it time we moved beyond the "holy fire" days?

Amen.

[gmd]

No,why should we,it is a tradition that should be kept.It is something that is part of the Armenian Church and the church is part of every Armenian.

I disagree. I am not a part of any church and I never heard of this ceremony until now.

[Zartonk]

It is something that is part of the Armenian Church and the church is part of every Armenian.

Clearly not.

[annannimusss]

This is truely sad.

[Boghos]

Yes, this is clearly a very important thing.Can you imagine being prevented from lighting the Holy Fire and leaving the place first (or second)?That´s truly horrendous.

[karakash]

I disagree. I am not a part of any church and I never heard of this ceremony until now.

This is one of the most important traditions in which Armenians in Jerusalem take part.