JOINT SERVICE BY THE PATRIARCHS OF CONSTANINOPLE AND JERUSALEM
On Sunday the 12th/25th of May 2014, the Sunday of the Blind Man, a Joint Patriarchal Service was performed at the katholikon of the Church of the Resurrection by His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem. Co-officiating on behalf of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, were: His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America, the Most Reverend Metropolitans – Gennadios of Italy and Meliti; Ioannis of Pergamos; Iacovos of Prince Islands; Emmanuel of France; and Gennadios of Sasima –and His Eminence Archbishop Job of Telmissos. Co-officiating on behalf of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem were the Most Reverend Metropolitans Kyriakos of Nazareth and Isychios of Kapitolias; their Eminences Archbishops Theophanes of Gerassa, Dorotheos of Avila and Damascene of Joppe; the Elder Secretary-General, His Eminence Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina; their Eminences Archbishops Methodios of Tabor, Theodosios of Sebaste, Demetrios of Lydda, Philoumenos of Pella and Nektarios of Anthedon. Other concelebrants included Priests from the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Hagiotaphite Archimandrites, Archdeacons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and Archdeacon Evlogios. The choir chanted under the direction of the head cantor of the Church of the Resurrection, Archimandrite Aristovoulos. In attendance was the Greek Consul-General to Jerusalem, Mr Georgios Zacharoudiakis, as well as a great crowd from Jerusalem and Greece, America, Australia, Russia and other Orthodox countries. Numerous pious pilgrims attended the closing of the Joint Service because of street safety measures (taken in view of the meeting between Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, in the presence of Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem and the Franciscan Custodian, f. Pierrebatista Pizaballa).
At the Katholikon of the Church of the Resurrection, after the end of the Divine Liturgy, His Beatitude Theophilos addressed the Ecumenical Patriarch in Greek. Following a reply speech, the Ecumenical Patriarch offered His Beatitude a fine set of engolpiya and a Silver Chalice.
After Communion and the Apolysis of the Divine Liturgy, the Patriarchal Retinue from Constantinople left for their hotel amidst bells ringing, whereas the Jerusalemite Retinue proceeded to the Patriarchates.
From the Secretariat-General
httpv://youtu.be/sVPLxy1hugw
httpv://youtu.be/JLxn2m8oUsk
httpv://youtu.be/SCTj-sHZrTE