Jordan’s King Abdullah II will fund the restoration of Christ’s Tomb in Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulcher, according to numerous press announcements in the Middle East and a letter sent by the king to the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III.
The necessary restoration project was announced two weeks ago to fix critical problems with the structure at Christianity’s holiest of sites, the location it is believed where Jesus Christ was entombed.
According to the announcement, the progressive alteration of the mortars holding up the building needed repaired, resulting from condensed moisture from the breath of thousands of pilgrims who enter the church daily and candle smoke.
The announcement from Amman was warmly welcomed by Patriarch Theophilos III who is head of the largest Christian community in the Holy Land.
“His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III also said that His Majesty King Abdullah embodies in deed, and not only in word, the shared living of Muslims and Christians all over the world and particularly in the Holy Land,” according to Jordan’s Petra news agency.
“Jordan’s role in protecting Christian existence in the Holy Land is clear and undeniable,” the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem continued, “King Abdullah spearheads the efforts of all Jordanians to sow the seeds of love and brotherhood between Muslims and Christians. We are reaping the fruits of these efforts in this age when sectarian wars are burning entire countries as can plainly be seen.”
The three main Christian denominations that worship at the Church include the Greek Orthodox, Latin (Roman Catholic) and Armenian Churches. All have agreed to cooperate for the realization of the restoration effort.