Statement on the re-opening of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

After three days of closure, the doors of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher were reopened on February 28th at 4:00 in the morning. Following is the official declaration on the reopening:

Statement on the re-opening of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

We, the heads of Churches in charge of the Holy Sepulcher and the Status Quo governing the various Christian Holy Sites in Jerusalem - the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, the Custody of the Holy Land and the Armenian Patriarchate - give thanks to God for the statement released earlier today by Prime Minister Netanyahu and offer our gratitude to all those who have worked tirelessly to uphold the Christian presence in Jerusalem and to defend the Status Quo. After the constructive intervention of the Prime Minister, The Churches look forward to engagewith Minister Hanegbi, and with all those who love Jerusalem to ensure that Our Holy City, where our Christian presence continues to face challenges, remains a place where the three Monotheistic faiths may live and thrive together. Following these recent developments we hereby announce that the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, that is the site of the crucifixion of Our Lord andalso of His Resurrection, will be reopened to the pilgrims tomorrow, February 28th, 2018 at 4.00 AM.   THEOPHILOS III Patriarch of Jerusalem FRANCESCO PATTON Custos of the Holy Land NOURHAN MANOUGIAN Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem