Adeeb Joudeh, the official responsible for the keys to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, who was scheduled to meet with the visiting American Vice President Mike Pence, has announced in and official letter that he refuses to meet with his guest because of President Trump’s declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Israel’s Channel 2 News reported Wednesday.
“It has come to our attention that Vice President Pence intends to make an official visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and asked me to receive him officially,” Joudeh wrote, adding, “I absolutely refuse to officially welcome the American Vice President Mr. Mike Pence at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and I will not be physically in church during his visit.”
“This is an expression of my condemnation of President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel,” the official wrote.
At the beginning of his letter, Joudeh, a Muslim, explains the significance of his unusual step, noting, “We, the Joudehs, have been responsible for the keys to the church for 850 years. To this day, we have fulfilled all our commitments to the Church without bias, and have accepted every political, religious and international figure who has asked us to do so.”
