The World Council of Churches has thrown its support behind a plea from church leaders in Jerusalem to maintain the historical status quo allowing worshippers access to the site known as the Temple Mount to the Jews and Haram ash-Sharif to Muslims as well as other holy sites in the city.
In a statement released this week, the patriarchs and head of local churches in Jerusalem expressed their “serious concern” regarding the recent escalation in violence around the site and said they were worried about any change to the historic status quo which governs ownership of the site and was drawn up in the 18th century.
“Any threat to its continuity and integrity could easily lead to serious and unpredictable consequences which would be most unwelcome in the present tense religious climate,” they said.
The statement, the signatories of which included Greek Orthodox Patrirach Theophilos III, Roman Catholic Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Bishop Munib Younan of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, was released after two Israeli police officers were killed after they were attacked by three Arab Israeli gunmen, who were also killed, on 14th July.
In reponse, Israeli police temporarily closed the site, the first time this had occurred in decades. And this week, Israeli police installed metal detectors at gates around the walled compound.
Fr Ioan Sauca, acting general secretary of the World Council of Churches, said in a following statement that “keeping the historical status quo and supporting equal rights for Christians, Muslims and Jews at these holy sites is vitally important to maintaining peace and de-escalating violence”.
“Denying access to holy sites for thousands of people who have travelled far to pray is not only a violation of the rights of those individuals, but also a corrosive act in the midst of an already-fragile peace.”
