Interview with the Custos of the Holy Land a few days before the Thanksgiving Celebration of March 22, for the restoration work.
Nearly a year of work under the direction of Antonia Moropoulou, professor of the National Technical University of Athens, who coordinated a staff of about 30 colleagues of various departments of the NTUA, with the consulting of architect Osama Hamdan and Professor Eugenio Alliatas, historian and archaeologist, for the conservative restoration of the kiosk overlooking the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The site of Christ’s tomb, by far the holiest and most important for all Christendom. The works, which are bound to end these days, have been carried out thanks to a series of funding primarily provided by the Christian denominations in the Holy Land, namely the Catholic, Greek-orthodox and Armenian, which add up to those of public origin, such as the Greek administration or the Global Fund for the conservation of monuments (Wmf) and many other benefactors, including King Abdullah of Jordan.
Alterations of different nature necessitated action to consolidate the marble blocks and the relative resilience of the structure - built in 324 by Emperor Constantine - which over the centuries has withstood several different arson attacks (from the Persians in 614 to the infamous looting in 1009). Destroyed by fire in 1808, it was rebuilt in 1810 in its present Baroque-Ottoman style, it even resisted to the 1927 earthquake (magnitude 6, 2). However, the advanced state of degradation, despite the tie rods placed by the British in 1947, last year made this decision unpostponable. Already in 1009, the Crusaders had intervened with significant works that had given to the entire church, as in the floor, its Romanesque look which is still distinguishable, while in 1555 a massive restoration work was carried out by the Franciscans.
During the recent works, there were moments of intense emotion as for example in October at the opening of the funerary bed with the lifting of the sheet probably placed there by the Crusaders in 1009: the "tomb of the living Christ." The rock on which the body of Jesus was laid had been discovered for the first time in 1555, an event described in a letter to Boniface of Ragusa, then Custos of the Holy Land: " here appeared clearly before our eyes the tomb of the Lord that had been cut out of the rock ... At the center of the Holy Place we found a piece of wood that had been placed there, wrapped in a precious cloth ... " Now, the last scaffolding removed, the physical place of the Lord’s burial and of his Resurrection will be returned to prayer, and on March 22 - anniversary of the signing which started the works by the three religious communities – there will be an ecumenical celebration.
We reached the Custos of the Holy Land, Friar Francesco Patton ofm, a few days after his return from the island of Rhodes, where he had participated, along with leaders of other religious communities, to the celebrations for the 70th anniversary annexation of the Dodecanese to Greece, land where the Friars of the Custody have been present since 1972 in rotation with the confreres of Umbria. There, Patton was able to present the conclusion of the restoration work.
How has the local Christian community lived this particular moment?
"I'd say the moment is lived with great anticipation, because this is the place symbol of the Christian identity of Jerusalem, which together with the Jewish and Muslim identity contributes to represent the universal vocation of this city. In this Lenten season, and then in Easter time the Holy Sepulchre really becomes the center of life of the local Christian communities and of around the world, because these days Christians from all parts of the Holy Land and from all over the world arrive to Jerusalem. Moreover, this year, by a happy coincidence, we all celebrate Easter on the same date, so one can capture even more wealth of rites and liturgies, from the Catholic ones of the Passion to the Eastern ones that have their most impressive moment on Saturday when from the newly restored Sepulchre the Holy Fire, symbol of the risen Christ, will spring and illuminate the whole Basilica. I personally hope that this shared date of Easter, given this year by the merging of the Julian and Gregorian calendars, in the future may be sought in a small step towards full unity. "
What value does the restoration carry from the ecumenical, inter-religious and even political point of view, given the different origin of the funding?
"I would say that the most important value is the ecumenical one, because, in the preparation phase of the agreement that led to the works, which ended on March 22, 2016, there was a constant exercise of dialogue between the Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III, my predecessor as Custodian of the Holy Land, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, now apostolic administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and the Armenian Patriarch Nourhan Manougian. Then, during this year dedicated to the restoration, the dialogue has continued because we met regularly to be updated on the progress of the work and to take joint decisions. If problems arose, of course we tried to solve them through mutual agreement. As I also said recently, the work of the Holy Sepulchre, in addition to the value of having restored the most important sanctuary of Christianity, which holds the memory of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, has an additional symbolic value because it is the sign of an important work of consolidation, restoration and rehabilitation that concerns the relations between our Christian communities. "
From the interfaith point of view, this work has the benefit of helping to remember that the Christian community, although small, is an essential part of this land and it is a component that still brings here a significant part of the whole world, given the spread of Christianity on a global level. From the political point of view this site holds a delicate position because it is de facto in a city where different subjects must talk: Israel, Palestine, Jordan and that same international community that protects the so-called Status Quo i.e. the ownership and right-to-use exercised by the Greek-orthodox, Catholic Latin and Armenian communities. On March 22, should be present representatives of all these political realities, and we hope that events like this can contribute to that dialogue - constantly reminded to us by the Popes that have followed in the last century – which is the way to peace. "
What is the meaning of this restoration for the Custos and friars of the Custody?
"For me, it meant being part of a unique initiative, and gave me the opportunity to make a small contribution to the dialogue. A few days ago, for example we were together in Rhodes to present these works to the Greek communities of the island which has been a very meaningful and beautiful experience: we traveled and shared meals together with Greeks, Catholics and Armenians, together we participated to civil and religious public moments, and we experienced a warm welcome by the local authorities both civil and religious, as well as from the local people. In times like these I realize that one should approach to dialogue with an open-heart and without prejudice, because in the end we all want the same thing, to one day be able to manifest the unity of the Body of Christ even in the variety of rites, which corresponds to the legitimate diversity of the cultures in which faith is incarnated. For all Christians, this site is absolutely the most important. For us friars it has a sentimental value in relation to the history of our presence. The same St. Francis in one of his letters reminds the veneration for the tomb because there laid the body of the Lord Jesus for some time. The first monks arrived here in 1217 and attempted to pray in this place and, in the short period in which they were expelled from the Holy Land, after the fall of the Latin Kingdom, between 1291 and 1233, they went back and forth from Cyprus by boat just to be able to pray here. A founder of the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum of Jerusalem, father Virgilio Corbo (1918-1991), about fifty years ago, had also conducted and later documented very important archaeological research precisely in the area of the Holy Sepulchre. His work has facilitated the preliminary studies of the restoration carried out this year. Furthermore, our Franciscan community takes care of the Sanctuary and lives inside the Holy Sepulchre. It is a unique privilege to be able to live and serve in the place which saw the victory of Christ over death, therefore, the restoration work in this site, along with practical value, it carries an extraordinary sentimental value for us. "
What are the future prospects for the other holy sites? For example, the Church of the Nativity is in the process of restoration and the Ascension church has been recently damaged...
"Regarding the Holy Sepulchre the prospect is to strike while the iron is still hot, so we are already talking with the other two communities owners of the Status Quo to sign a new agreement that, while respecting the rights of all three communities, will initiate a second phase of the restoration work that covers the floor around the Sepulchre and what is underneath, so to solve other problems mainly related to the rising damp and the infrastructures which are under the floor. The Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem is well under way: it is a high-quality restoration that did discover new mosaics, but it is not over yet and there too we will eventually need to negotiate a new agreement to be able to restore also the Grotto of the Nativity.
As for the sanctuary of the Ascension of Jesus on top of the Mount of Olives what I know I learned online, i.e. that there there is an ongoing fight between two families for the management of the sanctuary, which is owned by Muslims, even if we, through the discipline of the Status Quo, can go there to celebrate the solemnity of the Ascension. But the restoration work continues in other shrines, such as the ongoing restoration of the Grotto of the Annunciation in Nazareth that had major rising damp problems that are damaging the rock and will soon need some intervention on the body of the basilica built about fifty years ago. If one keeps in mind that the Custody runs about 50 sanctuaries it should be easily understood that even the maintenance work must be continuous. Not to mention those works related to social commitment of the Custody, such as schools and homes that are made available to the local Christians to facilitate their stay in this land."
As for the pilgrims, the data seem to indicate a positive response?
"In recent months, we have seen a return of pilgrims, especially since last October. We know that European pilgrims are decreasing, while are increasing those who come from the United States and Asia, especially China and Indonesia. Also, pilgrims from Africa are beginning to grow. We always remind that pilgrims should not be afraid to come to the Holy Land, because they are well welcomed and respected by everyone. Moreover, pilgrimages are a concrete way to economically support the small local Christian community. Ultimately, pilgrimage is good especially for those who do it, because it is an opportunity to revive one’s faith when in contact with the places of our redemption, which is no coincidence, Pope Paul VI called "The Fifth Gospel". "
