Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre

The brotherhood is seated in the Central Monastery of Saints Constantine and Helen, Jerusalem,[N 2] northeast of Megali Panagia Nunnery.

[8] The Brotherhood believes itself to trace its foundation back to monastic guardians of the Holy sites existing prior to the fourth century.

After praying fervently for an answer, he heard the fifth Psalm, "Oh my King and my Lord", and decided upon the name Melkite, meaning "Royal People".

Except for Sophronius, every Patriarch from Germanus to Cyril would never once see their flock as a Bishop is meant to, but would live in Constantinople or a Metochion in affluent areas of Jerusalem apart from the indigenous people, leaving administration to a bishop called the "Patriarchal Commissioner", allowing the Greek monks and clergy to live in luxury as a higher class than the indigenous.

Many Metochia were built in Jerusalem, Constantinople, Russia, Crete, Macedonia, and elsewhere in order to collect alms under the name of the Holy Sepulchre.

The Bishops recognized him, but the vast majority of clergy and monastics who were indigenous, opposed him and made a pile of stones to resist him.

Paisios went further than Germanus by enacting a law such that no indigenous Orthodox could be accepted not only to the bishopric, but to any clerical or monastic order, or even as a reader or attendant in a monastery.

[10] Upon the death of Paisios, the monks of the Brotherhood dwelling in the Jerusalemite Metochion in Constantinople with the help of Prince Vasile were able to elect Nectarios as Patriarch of Jerusalem.

However, he soon resigned after seven years due to the constant harassment of the Greek monks of the Brotherhood when he refused to persecute indigenous Orthodox.

[10] French author Eugene Bori in "The Holy Land" accuses the Greek monks of being foreign embezzlers, which Patriarch Constantios argued against using a revisionist history where the people and clergy of Jerusalem have been Greek since the very beginning, denying the reality of any Arab or Palestinian Orthodox of Jerusalem.

These concessions to the indigenous Orthodox were seen by the Brotherhood as a betrayal of their ethnic policy, and so he was eventually accused of partiality towards the Russians at the Council of Constantinople (1872) and deposed, Procopios being elected to take his place.

[10] The Brotherhood in Jerusalem had begun imitating the abuses in the Catholic Church by selling indulgences to pilgrims, although ceasing for fear of bad press once it was made known.

During a conversation between Patriarch Cyril and Archimandrite Porphyry, Patriarch Cyril admits that the Churches are lacking icons and priests are lacking proper vestments and resources, and he defends the practice of monks marrying nuns and of refusing to allow Arab translators, monks, clergy and schools.

Porphyry accuses the Patriarch and states that "the kingdom of God will undoubtedly be taken away from you and given to others" and "the Orthodox Church has been corrupted because of you and is on the verge of death.

[10] In 1893 Saint Raphael Hawaweeny wrote "An Historical Glance at the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulcher", attacking its abuses and ethnic discrimination under a Pseudonym.

"[10] Inspired by the Young Turk revolution, Palestinian Orthodox began a series of meetings with Patriarch Damianos demanding indigenous representation, which was repeatedly denied.

Chief Secretary Meletios Metaxakis began rumors in the Brotherhood that Damianos was secretly supportive of the indigenous Orthodox, and with the help of Chrysostomos Papadopoulos and the support of Patriarch Photios and Patriarch Joachim, he called a midnight meeting of the whole Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre who unanimously decided to dethrone Damianos, formally enacting this the next morning on December 13.

After the renovation of 1555, control of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre oscillated between the Roman Catholic Franciscans and the Orthodox, depending on which community could obtain a favorable firman, or decree, from the Ottoman government; this was sometimes achieved through outright bribery, with violent clashes not uncommon.

For example, on a hot summer day in 2002, a Coptic monk, who was stationed on the roof to express Coptic claims over Ethiopian territory there, moved his chair from its agreed spot into the shade; this was interpreted as a hostile move by the Ethiopians, leading to an altercation that left eleven people hospitalized.

[15] On Palm Sunday, in April 2008, a brawl broke out due to a Greek monk being ejected from the building by a rival faction.