Church of the Holy Sepulchur - Part II

Now that you've learned that the key to the Holy Sepulchre is in the entrusted to two Muslim families, I want to tell you more about this very famous church.

Photo: Do you notice anything unusual in this photo? Believe it or not, the ladder is famous!! It has been nicknamed the "immovable ladder". It is made of cedar wood and very possibly came from Lebanon and has remained above the facade of the church under the window since the 18th century. There is "Status Quo" understanding that "no cleric of the six ecumenical Christian orders may move, rearrange, or alter any property without the consent of the other five orders."

There has been a lasting conflict between the Greek Orthodox Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church but there are actually six Christian religious orders which claim rights over the use of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.  According to various accounts, the ladder once belonged to a mason who was doing restoration work in the church. It was thought to be owned by the Armenian Apostolic Church along with some very old lithographs which show the ladder was in place by the late 1830's. The ladder leads to a balcony where the Armenian superior used to drink coffee with his friends and tended his flower garden and it is there so that the balcony can be cleaned.

The Franciscans, however, make no reference to the ladder and the earliest photograph showing the ladder dates from the 1850's. Back in 1981, someone attempted to remove the ladder but the Israeli police prevented it from being taken and the culprit got away. In 1997, the ladder was removed and was missing for a few weeks. It was later returned and the rumor was that it was a prank because of the conflict between the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church.

In 1964, Pope Paul VI described the ladder as a "visible symbol of Christian division" and is generally regarded as a visible symbol of the "Status Quo" agreement between the six ecumenical Christian orders. Who would have thought that an old ladder who cause such a stir among Christian churches? TO BE CONTINUED . . . .