Displaying items by tag: church tax

Further to last week’s article in the World section about Jerusalem's Holy Sepulchre being closed, this week Archbishop Justin Welby and Cardinal Vincent Nichols called on the Israeli government to protect Jerusalem’s holy sites. A joint letter to the Israeli ambassador expressed their ‘deep concern at the discriminatory taxation of churches in Jerusalem’. Their letter said that the proposed taxes might seriously damage the Christian presence in Jerusalem, Christian families, and the Christian institutions, including hospitals and schools, which serve many of the poorest people, regardless of their background. Their letter continues, ‘These violations of historic agreements risk undermining prospects for peaceful coexistence between communities, at a time of already heightened tensions.’

The Jordanian and Palestinian governments supported a decision by Roman Catholic, Armenian and Greek Orthodox leaders to close Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre, one of Christianity’s holiest sites, because of a ‘systematic campaign of abuse’ directed at their community. Many Christians believe the church to be the site of Jesus' crucifixion and burial. Millions of pilgrims visit every year. This decision was based on several issues, including a bill allowing the government to take over church properties leased to private companies; it also intends to begin imposing taxes on church properties. Under a 2013 agreement, Jordan's King Abdullah II is the custodian of Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. A Jordanian government spokesman expressed his country's ‘full solidarity’ with the churches, saying the Israeli law violates international and humanitarian laws, and called on the Israeli government to ‘immediately reverse the decisions taken against churches.’