Holy fire in Jerusalem

April 21, 2011 - 9:44 AM by David

The Holy Fire in Jerusalem. (AP)

While the focus throughout the country this week has been on Pessah, with matza abounding, and bread and pita in scarce supply (unless you leave Jerusalem in which case you can find pita just about anywhere) – let’s not forget the religious diversity Israel has to offer.

Thousands of Christian pilgrims are also in Israel this week ahead of Easter this Sunday. In one of the more colorful rituals, many worshippers will fill the medieval chambers of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem’s Old City on Saturday for the tradition known as the Holy Fire.

Greek Orthodox and Armenian clergymen enter the Edicule, the small structure marking the site of Jesus’ tomb, holding candles that are then lit, according to tradition, by a divine flame. They pass the fire out to the crush of believers, who transfer it from candle to candle, filling the dark building with light.

The Holy Sepulcher, revered by believers as the site of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial and resurrection, is less a single coherent church than a conglomeration of ancient rooms and chapels renovated, destroyed and rebuilt over the years. The first church was built on the site in the 4th century A.D.

AP reported on the elegant ritual and on the fact despite the presence of fire and 10,000 people crowded into the storied church, the structure has only one entrance and no fire exit.

The saga of the emergency exit at the storied church has pitted common sense against religious politics and tradition at one of Christianity’s most sacred sites. The winner was never in doubt. Despite dire warnings from Israeli officials, safety concerns have been outweighed by a reluctance to upset a brittle balance of power among the six Christian sects in the Sepulcher. A fire exit still does not exist.

“Everyone understands that there is logic in it,” said Theofilos III, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem. “But there is logic in the desire that no unnecessary changes be made. It is volatile.”

According to the report, Israeli officials have been concerned since the late 1990s that a fire or stampede at the church, especially during the Holy Fire ceremony, will end in disaster.

But though the sects at the Sepulcher acknowledge the necessity of an emergency exit, Israeli efforts have come up against the intricacies of the Status Quo, a 155-year-old agreement that governs relations between the groups that control the church.

Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Armenian clergy govern the Sepulcher building, with lesser rights accorded to Ethiopians, Copts and Assyrians.

The sects are typically backed by at least one foreign government. Every inch of the building and its immediate environs belongs to one of the sects, each of which meticulously guards its territory.

The most likely location for an exit would require the agreement of the Greek Orthodox, Copts and Ethiopians. But wherever a new exit is located, one of the churches would have to cede part of the sacred space under its control. “I don’t know where they’re going to do it,” said Father Samuel Aghoyan, the senior Armenian priest at the church.

So, the Holy Fire continues to create a fire hazard each Easter. A disaster waiting to happen, or divine intervention? Maybe because they’re in Israel, the mantra the followers are using is typically Israeli – Yihye B’seder (it will be alright).

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