Holiest church in Christianity closed in Israel tax dispute

Christian leaders took the rare step Sunday of closing Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built where tradition holds Jesus was buried, in protest at Israeli tax measures and a proposed property law.


It was not clear how long the closure of the church, announced by Christian officials at a news conference from around noon, would last. Church officials said only that it would be until further notice.

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 read out in front of the church's large wooden doors.

They said recent Israeli measures seemed to be "an attempt to weaken the Christian presence in Jerusalem."
  [dailystar.com.lb]
 25/2/18