Τήν Πέμπτην, 13ην / 26ην
Μαρτίου 2020, αἱ τρεῖς Μείζονες Κοινότητες, ἤτοι τό Ἑλληνορθόδοξον
Πατριαρχεῖον Ἱεροσολύμων, ἡ Κουστωδία τῆς Ἁγίας Γῆς τῶν Φραγκισκανῶν καί
τό Πατριαρχεῖον τῶν Ἀρμενίων εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα, αἱ ἔχουσαι τήν εὐθύνην διά
τό Προσκυνηματικόν Καθεστώς, ἐξέδωσαν τήν κάτωθι Ἀνακοίνωσιν, δηλοῦσαν
ὅτι αἱ ἀκολουθίαι εἰς τον Πανίερον Ναόν τῆς Ἀναστάσεως θά συνεχίσουν νά
τελῶνται συμφώνως πρός τό Τυπικόν καί Προσκυνηματικόν Καθεστώς ὑπό τῶν
διακονητῶν ἑκάστης Κοινότητος, μέ μειωμένην συμμετοχήν πιστῶν πρός
ἀποφυγήν τῶν συνεπειῶν τοῦ ἰοῦ COVID- 19:
On Thursday, March 13/26, 2020, the Three Major Communities, namely the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Custody of the Holy Land of the Franciscans, and the Patriarchate of the Armenians in Jerusalem, who are responsible for the Status Quo, published the announcement stated below, stating that the Services at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre will continue to be held by the ministering Fathers of each Community, according to the Typikon of the Status Quo. However there will be a significant decrease in the numbers of the faithful attending the services, in order to adhere to the safety precautions against COVID-19 virus.
Following the evolvement
of the situation in the Holy Land, we the Heads of the Three
Communities to whom the Providence granted the grace and honour of
proclaiming the lodes of the Lord in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre
and Resurrection, wish to inform that the celebrations of the
Communities, the Greek Orthodox, the Latin and the Armenian will
continue regularly, even though for safety reasons and in order to avoid
the risk of the diffusion of the COVID-19 infection, the number of
participants in the celebrations will be limited to few persons and the
Basilica will be accessible during the liturgies only.
We wish to
assure that inside the Basilica, the prayers of the Three Communities
will continue, rather intensify, asking the Heavenly Father the end of
the pandemic, the recovery of the sick, the protection of the medical
personnel, the wisdom for the Pastors and the Governors and the eternal
salvation to those who lost their lives. We raise this prayer from the
very place where, through the sacrifice of His own life on the Calvary
and through His Resurrection from the Sepulchre on the third day, the
only begotten and beloved Son Jesus Christ, defeated evil, sin and
death.
THEOPHILOS III FRANCESCO PATTON ARCH. NOURHAN MANOUGIAN
Greek Orthodox Custos of the Holy Land Armenian Patriarch
Patriarch
of Jerusalem
of Jerusalem