ASIA/HOLY LAND - The Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem back Armenian Patriarchate in the face of threat of confiscation of Church property

Jerusalem (Agenzia Fides) - " If one member suffers, all suffer together", say the Patriarchs and Heads of the Christian Churches of Jerusalem, quoting St. Paul from the First Letter to the Corinthians, in order to maintain their fraternal bond with the Armenian Patriarchate of the Holy City, after the Municipality of Jerusalem threatened to confiscate and auction the Patriarchate's properties to pay off the tax debts accumulated in recent decades, which, according to municipal officials, have reached "astronomical" figures.
The planned confiscation is perceived as intimidation by the Armenian Patriarchate, which disputes the amount of the sums demanded by the municipal tax officials and the way in which the amounts owed were calculated.
The foreclosure proceedings, which had already been initiated, had been temporarily suspended following a petition from the Patriarchate, but municipal officials claim that the deadline to appeal and reduce the amount demanded has now expired. For its part, the Patriarchate stresses that a large part of the alleged debt is related to Patriarchate properties that are already leased to the Jerusalem Municipality.
A court hearing on the ongoing dispute is scheduled for February 24. If the court rejects the petition and thus paves the way for seizure proceedings, the Patriarchate warns, this will set a dangerous precedent and pave the way for further seizures of property belonging to other church entities.
On Wednesday, February 19, the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem issued a joint statement expressing their solidarity with the Armenian Patriarchate “in its pursuit of justice” against what they called an “unjust foreclosure order.” “The measures taken against the Armenian Patriarchate," the statement said, “appear legally dubious and morally unacceptable”.
The Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem said: “It is inconceivable that Christian institutions, whose mission for centuries has been to safeguard faith, serve communities, and preserve the sacred heritage of the Holy Land, should now face the threat of property seizure under Israeli administrative measures that disregard due process” and disregard the role of the “governmental committee established to negotiate such matters in good faith.”
The threatened confiscation of property, the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem emphasize, "is an attempt to the right of existence of the Orthodox Armenian Church, depriving it of the necessary economic resources to live and operate and depriving the local Armenian people of the pastoral care of their Church.” And “the targeting of one Church is an assault on all, and we cannot remain silent while the foundations of our Christian witness in the land of Christ’s ministry are shaken."
The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches appeal directly to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Interior Minister Moshe Arbel and Minister Tzachi Hanegbi “to immediately intervene, freeze all foreclosure proceedings, and ensure that negotiations resume within the above-mentioned governmental committee in order to reach to an amicable solution regarding this issue in the spirit of justice.”
(GV) (Agenzia Fides, 20/2/2025)

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