For nearly 800 years, the key to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre has been in the hands of two prominent Muslim Jerusalemite families. This tradition dates back to Salah ad-Din’s conquest of Jerusalem in 1187, helping preserve the delicate Status Quo and preventing daily access to the Church from becoming a flashpoint among the different Christian custodians. Today, as the great doors undergo renovation, their descendants, Adeeb Joudeh and Wajeed Nuseibeh, still keep that same balance: one safeguards the key, the other opens and closes the Church each day.

For nearly 800 years, the key to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre has been in the hands of two prominent Muslim Jerusalemite families. This tradition dates back to Salah ad-Din’s conquest of Jerusalem in 1187, helping preserve the delicate Status Quo and preventing daily access to the Church from becoming a flashpoint among the different Christian custodians. Today, as the great doors undergo renovation, their descendants, Adeeb Joudeh and Wajeed Nuseibeh, still keep that same balance: one safeguards the key, the other opens and closes the Church each day.

BREAKING: The 12th-century doors of the Holy Sepulchre, dating to the Crusader period, are undergoing maintenance. The last major conservation work was done a decade ago. Since then, smaller retouches and wood treatments have been carried out to preserve the original wood and metal. It is one of the few surviving architectural elements from the Crusader-era reconstruction and has remained in continuous use ever since, famously still opened and closed each day by the Muslim Nuseibeh family under the Status Quo arrangement.

Important Statement by Hagop Djernazian (@DjernazianHagop), co-founder of @SaveTheArQ, on the undermining of Armenian custodianship at key Christian Holy Sites: The Armenian Church and Community of Jerusalem has always worked tirelessly to strengthen Christian unity in the Holy Land, from Jerusalem to Bethlehem and throughout the country. We have never been absent from common Christian life. Our Scouts, clergy, and community members have consistently participated in parades, religious celebrations, and joint initiatives, always present and always committed, even during times when we ourselves faced challenges or criticism. For us, unity has never been a slogan, it has been a lived responsibility. In recent years, our community has faced serious challenges in safeguarding our historic presence in Jerusalem, particularly regarding the Cows’ Garden. Yet even when our own Quarter was under pressure, we did not confine our concern to ourselves alone. We stood in defense of the rights and preservation of all Christian communities, because we understand that the pressures confronting one of us ultimately confront us all. For this reason, the recent actions aimed at undermining the Armenian rights, presence, and custodianship in the Church of the Nativity are deeply troubling and unacceptable. We are not visitors to the Holy Grotto. We are not guests. We are one of the three historic and traditional custodians of this sacred site, a status preserved through centuries of faithful service, sacrifice, and responsibility. The Holy Grotto and the Church of the Nativity have for centuries been under the shared custodianship of the three traditional Churches, just as is the case at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This historic arrangement is not symbolic; it is a living reality, carefully maintained to preserve balance, dignity, and Christian unity in the Holy Land. Any attempt to marginalize or bypass this custodianship undermines not only the Armenian Church but the very structure that protects the Christian presence in these sacred places. Moreover, such actions do not serve the interests of Christian unity. On the contrary, they serve those who wish to see division and separation between the Churches and our communities. They serve those who hope to weaken our common witness, to see us fragmented, diminished, and ultimately disappear from the land where Christianity was born. Undermining one Church today opens the door to undermining another tomorrow. Division strengthens only those who seek our collective failure as a family. Our struggle as Christians must not remain confined to words. It must be reflected in mutual respect, fairness, and the honoring of historic and established rights. Unity cannot survive where custodianship is disregarded or where one Church’s presence is treated as secondary. My conviction is not driven merely by identity, but by a sincere belief that our faith calls us to stand together in truth and justice. Those who have worked with me over the years know how deeply committed I have been to strengthening Christian unity, even when that commitment required perseverance and came at personal cost. We will continue to stand for unity. But unity must rest on respect, recognition, and the safeguarding of the historic custodianship that we rightfully and faithfully uphold.

Important Statement by Hagop Djernazian (@DjernazianHagop), co-founder of @SaveTheArQ, on the undermining of Armenian custodianship at key Christian Holy Sites: The Armenian Church and Community of Jerusalem has always worked tirelessly to strengthen Christian unity in the Holy Land, from Jerusalem to Bethlehem and throughout the country. We have never been absent from common Christian life. Our Scouts, clergy, and community members have consistently participated in parades, religious celebrations, and joint initiatives, always present and always committed, even during times when we ourselves faced challenges or criticism. For us, unity has never been a slogan, it has been a lived responsibility. In recent years, our community has faced serious challenges in safeguarding our historic presence in Jerusalem, particularly regarding the Cows’ Garden. Yet even when our own Quarter was under pressure, we did not confine our concern to ourselves alone. We stood in defense of the rights and preservation of all Christian communities, because we understand that the pressures confronting one of us ultimately confront us all. For this reason, the recent actions aimed at undermining the Armenian rights, presence, and custodianship in the Church of the Nativity are deeply troubling and unacceptable. We are not visitors to the Holy Grotto. We are not guests. We are one of the three historic and traditional custodians of this sacred site, a status preserved through centuries of faithful service, sacrifice, and responsibility. The Holy Grotto and the Church of the Nativity have for centuries been under the shared custodianship of the three traditional Churches, just as is the case at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This historic arrangement is not symbolic; it is a living reality, carefully maintained to preserve balance, dignity, and Christian unity in the Holy Land. Any attempt to marginalize or bypass this custodianship undermines not only the Armenian Church but the very structure that protects the Christian presence in these sacred places. Moreover, such actions do not serve the interests of Christian unity. On the contrary, they serve those who wish to see division and separation between the Churches and our communities. They serve those who hope to weaken our common witness, to see us fragmented, diminished, and ultimately disappear from the land where Christianity was born. Undermining one Church today opens the door to undermining another tomorrow. Division strengthens only those who seek our collective failure as a family. Our struggle as Christians must not remain confined to words. It must be reflected in mutual respect, fairness, and the honoring of historic and established rights. Unity cannot survive where custodianship is disregarded or where one Church’s presence is treated as secondary. My conviction is not driven merely by identity, but by a sincere belief that our faith calls us to stand together in truth and justice. Those who have worked with me over the years know how deeply committed I have been to strengthening Christian unity, even when that commitment required perseverance and came at personal cost. We will continue to stand for unity. But unity must rest on respect, recognition, and the safeguarding of the historic custodianship that we rightfully and faithfully uphold.

🚨BREAKING: The Custos of the Holy Land and the Greek Orthodox Patriarch have conducted an official visit to the Nativity Grotto restoration works without Armenian participation, continuing a troubling pattern of bilateral action at a tripartite Status Quo holy site. This follows the earlier bilateral communiqué that excluded the Armenian Patriarchate as a signatory, reducing the Armenian Church to being merely referenced rather than recognised as an equal custodian. The Armenian Patriarchate formally conveyed its deep disappointment and objection, noting that such conduct undermines the Status Quo in practice by treating one of the three historic custodians as secondary. For context, governance of the Church of the Nativity rests on the centuries-old tripartite Status Quo shared equally by the Greek Orthodox, the Latin Catholics, and the Apostolic Armenians. Public visits, statements, or inspections conducted bilaterally, while simultaneously invoking “common accord”, create a direct contradiction that erodes trust and distorts ecclesiastical reality. Status Quo arrangements endure only through visible equality in both word and deed. Repeated exclusion of Armenians from official representation risks establishing a precedent that could later be invoked to justify further marginalisation in access, decision-making, and custodial rights. This threatens not only Armenian presence, but the stability of governance at Christianity’s holiest sites. Preserving the Holy Places requires genuine unity grounded in full tripartite coordination. Anything less constitutes a grave affront to the Armenian Patriarchate and to the Armenian people’s uninterrupted 1,700-year witness, sacrifice, and statesmanship in safeguarding Christian life in the Holy Land.

The Catholic Church of the Visitation in Ein Kerem, Jerusalem was vandalized with hateful graffiti by Israeli extremists. "David, the King of Israel, is alive" "Revenge" When attackers go unpunished, the Christian presence in Jerusalem is neither respected nor protected.

The Catholic Church of the Visitation in Ein Kerem, Jerusalem was vandalized with hateful graffiti by Israeli extremists. "David, the King of Israel, is alive" "Revenge" When attackers go unpunished, the Christian presence in Jerusalem is neither respected nor protected.

February 19 marks 22 years since Armenian Lieutenant Gurgen Margaryan was brutally murdered by an Azerbaijani officer. Margaryan, who had served in the Armed Forces of Armenia and later in the Ministry of Defense, traveled to Hungary in early 2004 to participate in NATO’s Partnership for Peace English-language training program. In the early hours of February 19, while asleep in his dormitory, he was attacked by Azerbaijani officer Ramil Safarov, who struck him multiple times with an axe, nearly decapitating him. Margaryan was later laid to rest at the Yerablur Military Pantheon in Yerevan. Safarov was arrested, tried in Hungary, and sentenced to life imprisonment, with eligibility for parole after 30 years. However, on August 31, 2012, he was extradited to Azerbaijan. Upon arrival, he was immediately pardoned, promoted in rank, awarded back pay, and publicly celebrated as a hero. In response, Armenia severed diplomatic relations with Hungary the same day. In 2017, Hungarian investigative journalists reported evidence of a $7 million transfer from Azerbaijan to a Hungarian bank account around the time of Safarov’s extradition. Despite the enduring impact of the case and the widespread outrage surrounding Safarov’s release, Armenia and Hungary restored diplomatic relations in December 2022. The move was presented as a pragmatic step toward reestablishing dialogue. The announcement followed a December 1 meeting between the foreign ministers of both countries on the sidelines of an OSCE summit in Poland.