Church: Israel limiting rights of ‘Holy Fire’ worshippers

By LAURIE KELLMAN and AUDREY HOROWITZ
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — The leaders of the Greek Orthodox Church say Israeli police are unfairly limiting worshippers’ right to celebrate the Easter “Holy Fire” ceremony in the ancient Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The police said on Wednesday that their goal is safety for the thousands of worshippers expected on Saturday, which coincides with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the Jewish Sabbath. In years past, strict capacity limits on the typically teeming event in and around the revered church have added to tensions in the Jerusalem’s dense Old City, where Jews, Christians and Muslims must share their holy sites.