Posted on 03/25/2005 3:28:28 PM PST by SmithL
AMMAN, Jordan - More than 1,000 Orthodox Christians in Jordan held a vigil here on Friday to protest the reported sale of church land in the holy city of Jerusalem to Jewish organizations.
The peaceful demonstration followed a recent report in the daily Maariv newspaper that the Greek Orthodox Church sold church land, including two hotels, in the traditionally Palestinian section in the Old City of Jerusalem to Jewish groups working to bolster the Jewish presence in the area.
Jordanian lawmakers have called on their government to put Jerusalem's Greek Orthodox patriarch, Patriarch Eireneos I, on trial, accusing him of "negligence and carelessness" and violating a 1958 Jordanian law barring the sale of church lands in Jerusalem.
The church has not confirmed the sale and says it is investigating the report. In a statement, the church said any sale that might have taken place was unauthorized.
Protesters here on Friday carried Jordanian and Palestinian flags and banners saying: "We condemn all who tamper with our Arab Christian heritage," "No for the Judaization of the Muslim and Christian Holy Lands," and "Selling the homelands is a great crime."
A statement issued by the organizers of the sit-in, conducted outside an Amman church, called for the property to be returned to the church's control and those responsible for its reported sale to be tried in court.
Transjordan is the real Arab Palestine, and Gaza should belong to Egypt (if not Israel).
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