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Palestine News Network (PNN)
January 7, 2013 Monday
PA Rethink Mollifies Armenians, Heralds Return to Status Quo
by Arthur Hagopian
On Sunday 6th January, the Palestinian Authority (PA) in Bethlehem has
had a rethink regarding its stance vis-a-vis the protocols in practice
at the city's Nativity Church, rescinding a recent decision that had
threatened to pit one Christian church against another. The PA move,
which comes after intense pressure, heralds the onset of a palpable
peace between two brother churches, the Armenians and the Greek
Orthodox. The two have been embroiled in a territorial dispute in the
church for years, arising out of what the Armenians claim is an
attempt by the Greeks to encroach upon their traditional standing and
position within the church. The issue involves disagreement over the
annual cleaning procedures, culminating in ugly brawls, that last year
necessitated police intervention, and a PA edict Armenians saw as
biased against them.
The Armenians accused the Greeks of breaching the tenets of the Status
Quo of the Holy Places, a "fait accompli" which has ruled relations
between churches and governments since the Ottoman era, and which
spells out in minute detail the rights and privileges of the Christian
churches in the Holy Land, as well as the manner and timing of
celebrations of certain rites and ceremonies.
The three Guardians of the Holy Places (the Latin Custodia, the Greek
Orthodox and the Armenian Orthodox churches), as well as the dozen
other Christian denominations of the Holy Land, are bound by the
tenets of the set of agreements thrashed out by the Ottoman Sultans
with the aim of safeguarding Christian rights and avoiding internecine
clashes. Though rare, deviations from the Status Quo are viewed with
concern and alarm. The Armenians claim that in December 2007 the
Greeks created facts on the ground by moving a ladder used to clean
the walls of the church from its assigned place. (To an impartial
observer, the sweeping of a neighbor's tile, or the movement of a
ladder from one part of a wall to another, may seem trivial and no
cause for resentment, but to the owner of the tile or wall, in the
troubled Holy Land, the action is viewed as an unwarranted intrusion
on its territorial rights).
In the event, in the spirit of brotherly feeling, they were ready to
consider this a one-off, a temporary realignment with no provision for
an encore. But the Greeks thought otherwise and, according to the
Armenians, wanted to enshroud the variation in the cleaning routine in
a new status quo. When the Armenians complained to the PA, the answer
they received was simple and blunt: this is a matter between you and
the Greeks to resolve. Hanna Amireh, head of the PA's Presidential
Committee for the Christian churches, declared that the "same
arrangements which were reached last year are the most suitable
arrangement for this year too."
He warned that the decision of the Palestinian Authority "shall remain
unchanged and the Armenians must submit to the Authority's decision,"
warning it will "take all measures against those who dare to cause any
kind of clash," this correspondent was told. Unfazed, the Armenians
applied more pressure on the PA to reconsider, until the PA finally
relented. In a written pledge delivered to the Armenians earlier this
week, the PA conceded 2012 would be the last time the Greeks would
clean the church the new way, and that come December 2013, things
would go back to what they were before and in accordance with the
Status Quo.
To ensure nothing untoward occurred this year, the PA allowed the
cleaning on January 2 to proceed under strict supervision, with a
special police unit on standby outside the church, just in case. "Both
sides (Greeks and Armenians) were on their best behavior," a source
close to the Armenian church said. "When all is said and done, both
churches share a common history and destiny. For instance, before the
invention of the Armenian alphabet in 405 CE, Armenians wrote in
Greek." However, he confided that the Armenians still have pending
issues "pertaining to our rights in the Nativity church." Six months
ago, one of the lamps that belong to the Armenians, located under the
altar and on the Star of Bethlehem, dropped down along with the nail
from which it hung, promptly spawning a new dispute with the Greeks.
Who had the right to put the lamp back up? Once again, it would be up
to the Palestinian Authority to find a way out of this potential
minefield.
From: A. Papazian
January 7, 2013 Monday
PA Rethink Mollifies Armenians, Heralds Return to Status Quo
by Arthur Hagopian
On Sunday 6th January, the Palestinian Authority (PA) in Bethlehem has
had a rethink regarding its stance vis-a-vis the protocols in practice
at the city's Nativity Church, rescinding a recent decision that had
threatened to pit one Christian church against another. The PA move,
which comes after intense pressure, heralds the onset of a palpable
peace between two brother churches, the Armenians and the Greek
Orthodox. The two have been embroiled in a territorial dispute in the
church for years, arising out of what the Armenians claim is an
attempt by the Greeks to encroach upon their traditional standing and
position within the church. The issue involves disagreement over the
annual cleaning procedures, culminating in ugly brawls, that last year
necessitated police intervention, and a PA edict Armenians saw as
biased against them.
The Armenians accused the Greeks of breaching the tenets of the Status
Quo of the Holy Places, a "fait accompli" which has ruled relations
between churches and governments since the Ottoman era, and which
spells out in minute detail the rights and privileges of the Christian
churches in the Holy Land, as well as the manner and timing of
celebrations of certain rites and ceremonies.
The three Guardians of the Holy Places (the Latin Custodia, the Greek
Orthodox and the Armenian Orthodox churches), as well as the dozen
other Christian denominations of the Holy Land, are bound by the
tenets of the set of agreements thrashed out by the Ottoman Sultans
with the aim of safeguarding Christian rights and avoiding internecine
clashes. Though rare, deviations from the Status Quo are viewed with
concern and alarm. The Armenians claim that in December 2007 the
Greeks created facts on the ground by moving a ladder used to clean
the walls of the church from its assigned place. (To an impartial
observer, the sweeping of a neighbor's tile, or the movement of a
ladder from one part of a wall to another, may seem trivial and no
cause for resentment, but to the owner of the tile or wall, in the
troubled Holy Land, the action is viewed as an unwarranted intrusion
on its territorial rights).
In the event, in the spirit of brotherly feeling, they were ready to
consider this a one-off, a temporary realignment with no provision for
an encore. But the Greeks thought otherwise and, according to the
Armenians, wanted to enshroud the variation in the cleaning routine in
a new status quo. When the Armenians complained to the PA, the answer
they received was simple and blunt: this is a matter between you and
the Greeks to resolve. Hanna Amireh, head of the PA's Presidential
Committee for the Christian churches, declared that the "same
arrangements which were reached last year are the most suitable
arrangement for this year too."
He warned that the decision of the Palestinian Authority "shall remain
unchanged and the Armenians must submit to the Authority's decision,"
warning it will "take all measures against those who dare to cause any
kind of clash," this correspondent was told. Unfazed, the Armenians
applied more pressure on the PA to reconsider, until the PA finally
relented. In a written pledge delivered to the Armenians earlier this
week, the PA conceded 2012 would be the last time the Greeks would
clean the church the new way, and that come December 2013, things
would go back to what they were before and in accordance with the
Status Quo.
To ensure nothing untoward occurred this year, the PA allowed the
cleaning on January 2 to proceed under strict supervision, with a
special police unit on standby outside the church, just in case. "Both
sides (Greeks and Armenians) were on their best behavior," a source
close to the Armenian church said. "When all is said and done, both
churches share a common history and destiny. For instance, before the
invention of the Armenian alphabet in 405 CE, Armenians wrote in
Greek." However, he confided that the Armenians still have pending
issues "pertaining to our rights in the Nativity church." Six months
ago, one of the lamps that belong to the Armenians, located under the
altar and on the Star of Bethlehem, dropped down along with the nail
from which it hung, promptly spawning a new dispute with the Greeks.
Who had the right to put the lamp back up? Once again, it would be up
to the Palestinian Authority to find a way out of this potential
minefield.
From: A. Papazian