By Marinella Bandini
In 1852, Ottoman Sultan Abdul Majid II issued a decree ordering the governor of Jerusalem and his council, as well as all churches, not to make any adjustments to the city’s holy sites. The decree is known as the prestige quo.
Since this decree, the members of the Christian communities entitled to the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre live, celebrate, cleanse, enter and leave according to the ancient rhythms. Even the time change – from the time of the sun to the hour of saving the sun – will not come into effect inside the basilica, leaving a time interval of a few months inside and outside the famous church.
Lent and Easter are generally times when it is imperative to accurately schedule celebrations and liturgies at sacred sites such as the Holy Sepulchre to avoid unwanted overlaps and take precedence over assigned spaces.
“What we are doing today has been observed at least since the 1880s,” said Father Athanasius Macora, an American Franciscan friar who served as secretary of the Custody of the Holy Land Custody’s Commission on the Status Quo for more than 25 years. He is [with] the pilgrims, because it is difficult to move from one position to another and arrive on time in all this. Without pilgrims, like this year, it will be easy, even if it is very sad.
Next year, he says, will be different: “We will have to work hard, because Easter is the same day for the Catholic and Orthodox churches. In total, thousands of pilgrims.
The prestige quo considers the property and rights of the Catholic and Orthodox Christian communities in the sanctuaries, adding the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the Chapel of the Ascension (which is owned by Muslims) and the Tomb of the Virgin Mary in Jerusalem. Non-Christian holy sites regulated by prestige quo include Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem and the Western Wall (Kotel) in Jerusalem.
“Each church has its own commission and members who can meet,” Macora explained. “In any case, it is the heads of the churches who are aware of the prestige quo. “
In his role, Macora participates in the agreements and negotiations between the 3 Christian Churches for the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre: the Catholic Church (represented through the Custody of the Holy Land), the Greek Orthodox Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church.
In reality, five communities can use the area of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, including Copts and Syrians, as well as Ethiopians, who have property rights to the roof and the chapel facing the courtyard. But Catholics, Greek Orthodox and Armenians have the right to make decisions about the maintenance and adjustments of the basilica.
“The Ottoman mandate is not a code, a rulebook, as many believe, but a decree that forces us to make changes,” Macora told ACI Prensa. “You can compare it to a ceasefire agreement between churches. “
The text has about 1,000 words translated into English. “It doesn’t go into detail, so it doesn’t communicate a lot of the things we’re going through today,” he said.
Years ago, Macora recalls, “there was the challenge of knowing which network was guilty of retrieving the votive candles from the iron supports placed around the aedicule containing Jesus’ tomb at the end of the day. There is no mention of this in the [decree].
The challenge, however, was solved when in 2016-2017 the iron supports for the façade construction recovery paintings were removed.
An iconic staircase on the outside of the main façade also remains a symbol of a bygone era.
“The staircase belongs to the Armenians and shows that this component of the façade belongs to them, although the explanation of why it is there is lost to history,” Macora said. “I don’t think other people know why it’s there. “today. . . I don’t think there’s any further explanation for why it’s there because it undermines the central narrative of the Church, which is the death and resurrection of the Lord. To move it, Armenians would have to agree. You can make a substitute if there is agreement between the 3 ecclesial communities.
For every minor or unforeseen change, the three communities will not only have to look to the afterlife (the decree and the oldest traditions), but they will also be “forced” to interact in the discussion to find answers and agreements to move forward. An example of this are the structural recovery works that have affected the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in recent decades, in addition to those that are underway and that fear the entire terrain of the basilica.
The renovations have affected everyday activities, such as processions.
Regarding the Franciscan motion in the basilica, Macora shared, “We had to make some transience adjustments, such as entering or exiting in a way that we don’t usually do, or another staircase. These are all things we want to discuss. ” Under general circumstances, itinerary adjustments would not be permitted. I’ve talked about it with the other superiors, but it’s not a problem. They get it. . . We’re all together, we just have to be careful, be careful. doing nothing when it is the turn of some other community; You have to respect yourself, that’s the fundamental principle.
During her 25 years of service, Macora has experienced ups and downs in relations between the 3 communities responsible for the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, as well as with other Orthodox communities that have their own liturgical moments.
“In general, each network insists on its rights, so dating can be complex and some questions persist over time. But overall, our quotes are positive. Much “depends on the personality of the church leaders and their leaders. “Added.
Macora has lived through very difficult moments, such as “the siege of the Basilica of the Nativity” and other events.
“The strangest scenario was that of repairing the bathroom of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, because one of the communities tried to use it as leverage for something else, a kind of blackmail. “
One of Macora’s most vivid memories is of Pope John Paul II.
“We had to take special measures, such as completely closing the church, allowing other people access only with tickets or special tickets, and tightening security. In addition, it is Sunday, when the other communities also celebrated their liturgies. Not easy, but the communities were very cooperative.