Today the most serious discord in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is between the Ethiopians and the their long-time rivals, the Copts of Eygpt.
Though the two ancient African churches share a similar dogma, for the last three centuries they have been feuding over the Chapel of St. Michael whose path extends from the entrance courtyard to the basilica’s roof.
Initially the Ethiopians controlled the modest chapel which measures
about 24 by 33 feet (8 by 11 meters). When they couldn’t pay their taxes to the Ottoman Empire, they sold the shrine to the Copts in the 17th century. But unwilling to abandon their claim, they built an African village perched atop the venerable church. Today, 60 monks and nuns dwell there in their rooftop mud huts. One of them is Aba Haile Mariam, a patriarch who proclaims “we have 3,000 years of history here. We are praying for peace very day.”
Gil Zohar
“Israel: Holy Land to Many”