(EOHSJ)
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is venerated by many Christians as Golgotha, (the Hill of Calvary), where the New Testament says that Jesus was crucified, and is said to also contain the place where Jesus was buried (the sepulchre). The church has been an important pilgrimage destination since at least the 4th century, as the purported site of the death and resurrection of Jesus.
The Palestinian Prime Minister sent out this greeting today, “Next year we will celebrate the Holy Fire vigil in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.”
The Jerusalem Post reported:
The Palestinian people plan on celebrating the Holy Fire vigil next year in Jerusalem, the “capital” of the Palestinian state, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said Saturday.
“Next year, Inshallah (God willing), we shall celebrate in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in east Jerusalem, the capital of the Palestinian state,” Fayyad was reported as saying. “Our people, joined by all humanity, will celebrate the creation of the Palestinian independent state according to 1967 borders, a state whose capital shall be Jerusalem.”
Fayyad further noted, “The Palestinian state is being built these days brick by brick, step by step, and we continue to broaden services for our people to fortify its standing, especially in the areas which have been damaged by the fence and the settlements.”
