Church at Jesus’s burial site closed

Jerusalem, February 25 

Christian leaders today took the rare step of closing the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built at the site of Jesus’s burial in Jerusalem, in protest at Israeli tax measures and a proposed property law.

It was not immediately clear how long the closure of the church would last. The church is considered the holiest site in Christianity, built where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected, and is a major pilgrimage site.

“As a measure of protest, we decided to take this unprecedented step of closure of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,” Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic and Catholic leaders said in a statement.

They said recent Israeli measures seemed to be “an attempt to weaken the Christian presence in Jerusalem”. Christian leaders have been angered over attempts by Israeli authorities in Jerusalem to enforce tax collection on church property they consider commercial, saying exemptions only apply to places of worship or religious teaching.

Christian leaders say legislation being considered by Israel’s government would allow church property to be expropriated. —AFP