The article is either the same or similar to Holy Fire sets Orthodox rivalry ablaze in Jerusalem
wherein it is stated:
Pope Gregory IX banned Roman Catholics from participating in the ceremony in 1238.
I wonder if the ban was ever lifted or rescinded and if it is binding through the centuries.
Also ""In this worst situation I had to use my emergency light, a cigarette lighter," he later admitted." The article tells of a dispute between the Greek and Armenian patriarch wherein the Greek blew out the Armenian's candle . . .
What was he doing with a lighter?
Never heard that before.
http://www.thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/archive_db.cgi?tablet-00736
That article reports that he banned the Franciscan clergy from participating. That sounds more like a matter of mixing of the clergy in religious celebrations, than a ban on the faithful. The same article reports Urban II urged Crusaders at Clermont onwards by recounting the miracle.
The Orthodox are not free from sin, and I have said here before that we are contentious. If you think your critical thinking skills are reliable, though, you might want to take a second look at what you have posted. The Armenians are not Orthodox. And it is funny to me how quickly you accept the truth of the secular press...I am thinking of the many times those in your church have indignantly posted about the same issue. But only in reference to your own church, of course. So much for critical thinking.