The use of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) is still strictly regulated by a
firman issued in 1852 which has resulted in what's commonly referred to as the "status quo". Under the status quo, the church building and the times for its use are divided between the Eastern Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, and Roman Catholic custodians, with the lion's share going to the Eastern Orthodox. Under the status quo for instance, only the Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem or a Bishop representing him can celebrate the Ceremony of the Holy Light. Tensions are usually high because of the status quo, and any action by any group, no matter how innocent it may have been, is often interpreted as a grab for more power over the use of the building. For instance, in 2004 during the Julian Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, the Roman Catholics (most likely inadvertently) left the door of the Franciscan Chapel open which was viewed as a sign of disrespect by the Orthodox, and a brawl broke out. The most ridiculous sign of the extent to which the status quo is taken seriously is the "Immovable Ladder". Above the door of the main entrance into the Church of the Resurrection is a wooden ladder sitting on a ledge. It was placed there shortly before the
firman establishing the status quo was decreed in 1852 in order to clean the windows. After the status quo was established, none of the Churches dared to move the ladder because the entrance doors, windows and exterior ledges of the Church of the Resurrection were decreed to be common property of all three Churches under the status quo. So the ladder has stood there for a hundred and fifty years and came to be known as "The Immovable Ladder".
