JERUSALEM, April 20, 2025 (WAFA) - The Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem emphatically condemns the egregious violations that desecrated the sanctity of Jerusalem yesterday, particularly in the Old City and around the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, during the celebration of the blessed Holy Fire Saturday.

Israeli police forces transformed the sacred city into a militarized zone, erecting barriers, obstructing the faithful from reaching their churches, and perpetrating assaults against scouts and worshippers, both locals and pilgrims from around the world.

These reprehensible actions, which deprived thousands of believers of their divine right to prayer and worship, stand in direct contradiction to Jerusalem’s eternal vocation as a city of peace, it said in a statement.

T.R.