On October 23, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem’s Old City—one of Christianity’s holiest sites—where he was received and accompanied by clergy from the Armenian, Greek, and Latin (Catholic) Patriarchates, the historic custodians of the sacred church. During the visit, Vance paused to pray at the Stone of Anointing, where Jesus’s body was prepared for burial following the crucifixion. This was reported on X by Kegham Balian, a Jerusalemite Armenian.
Following his visit, Vance posted the following statement on X: “What an amazing blessing to have visited the site of Christ’s death and resurrection. I am immensely grateful to the Greek, Armenian, and Catholic priests who care for this most sacred of places. May the Prince of Peace have mercy on us, and bless our efforts for peace. I am also grateful to the Franciscan monks who celebrated a private mass for my family and many of the Americans working for peace. They are a great credit to the Christian faith, and they were kind enough to take the time to minister to us at a very special moment.”
The visit comes as attention grows over Jerusalem’s Christian heritage, and particularly the Armenian Christian Quarter, which faces pressures over land rights and preservation of its historic presence.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is governed under the long-standing Status Quo arrangement, with primary custodianship shared by the Armenian Apostolic Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, and the Latin (Catholic) Church. Additional rights are held by the Coptic, Syriac, and Ethiopian Churches.
