On Sunday, the 8^th/21^st of September 2014, H.B. Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem led the Divine Liturgy in the Greek Orthodox Arab-speaking Community of Tarshiha, a town in the Accra-Ptolemais region of Northern Israel, on the occasion of the centennial of the Church of the Prophet Elias. The centennial was celebrated on the feast of the Nativity of Theotokos.

Before the service, His Beatitude was warmly welcomed to the town by its Orthodox crowd, priests and the Mayor.

Co-officiating with the Patriarch were: the Most Reverend Kyriakos, Metropolitan of Nazareth; the Elder Secretary-General, Archbishop Aristarchos of Constanina; the Hegoumen of Mt Tabor Monastery, Archimandrite Hilarion; Hieromonk Martyrios, Hierodeacon Dionysios and Archdeacon f. Evlogios, as well as priests from neighbouring Communities. The town’s Orthodox population observed the divine Liturgy in piety, while cantors from the Community sang during the service.

During Communion, His Beatitude preached the Word of God in Greek.

Before the apolysis, the Patriarch awarded f. Gregorios a Steward’s Cross, an icon of Christ and Theotokos, and a set of holy vessels with a blessing cross. Members of the Church Board were offered a cross of the Holy Sepulcher.

During a reception hosted after the Divine Liturgy at the new Events Hall, His Beatitude made a donation of 15.000$ to be used for the completion of the Church’s restoration.

The head priest of Tarshiha, Presbyter Gregorios, spoke on behalf of the Community to extend his thanks for the Patriarchate’s support, manifested by means of previous aid for the renovation of the Church in Tarshiha and also through the Patriarch’s presence at the centennial celebrations.

From the Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/axyPhMPqwmo

httpv://youtu.be/SgVLKeyZLvU

On Sunday, the 8^th/21^st of September 2014, the Patriarchate celebrated the Nativity of Theotokos at the Tomb of the Mother of God in Gethsemane.

The divine Liturgy was performed by the Most Reverend Chrysostomos, Metropolitan of Kition, of the Church of Cyprus. Co-officiating were His Eminence Dorotheos, Archbishop of Avila, and the Most Reverend Seraphim, Metropolitan of Zimbabwe, of the Patriarchate of Alexandria. Both primates have visited Jerusalem as representatives of their respective Churches, in order to participate in the 6^th Joint Commission on Anglican-Orthodox Dialogue.

In attendance at the service were nuns and pilgrims visiting the Holy Land for veneration in spite of the recent events in Gaza.

On the conclusion of the divine Liturgy, Archimandrite Nektarios hosted the Prelatic retinue to a reception at the Hegoumen’s quarters.

The feast of the Nativity of Theotokos was also celebrated in the town of Beit-Jalla, where the Rum Orthodox Community maintains a Church dedicated to this feast.

In Beit-Jalla, the divine Liturgy was led by Archbishop Theodosios of Sebaste. Co-officiating were Archimandrite Narkissos and the town’s vicars. The leading Primate taught the word of God in Arabic to a large crowd of faithful.

The service was followed by a procession along the streets in the vicinity of the church. Participating in the procession were Boy Scouts and the town’s Charity institutions.

From the Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/kjf4g1mmNK8

On Friday, the 6^th/19^th of September 2014, H.B. Theophilos, Patriarch of Jerusalem, performed a holy water rite for the blessing of the new school year 2014-2015, on the Hieratical School on the Hill of Sion.

His Beatitude was accompanied by the President of the School Board and Elder Sacristan, His Eminence Isidoros, Archbishop of Hierapolis; the Elder Secretary-General, His Eminence Aristarchos of Constantina; Archdeacon Evlogios and other Hagiotaphites. Also in attendance was the Consul-General of Greece, Mr Georgios Zacharoudiakis; the School Principal, f. Nikolaos Zervis; the Head of the Boarding House, Hierodeacon Dionysios, teachers and novices at the School. The holy water rite was performed in the Church of the Holy Trinity.

After the blessing, His Beatitude thanked God for the gathering anew of teachers and students, and advised the latter to be diligent and respectful of their teachers, to chant at the Church of the Resurrection and the Church of Sts Constantine and Helen, and be ready to serve the Patriarchate, if God should call them to do so.

He went on to thank the Ministry of Education for appointing teachers at the School, and referred to the contribution of the late Principal, f. Photios. The contribution of Archbishop Isidoros of Hierapolis was also praised, as well as the presence of the Consul-General, who is always supportive of the School’s needs.

In closing, His Beatitude recommended that weaker students be helped by their teachers and that all students show devotion and obedience to the Patriarchate.

In his turn, the Consul-General pointed out the importance of the contribution of parents, students and teachers, adding that because of the small number of students, classes have the advantage of being taught as private lessons.

A brief reception followed at the School’s Hall of Events, during which Principal Nikolaos spoke of the principles by which the School is to abide for the next school year (see video).

 From the Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/JtA50qga4GU

On Friday, the 6^th/19^th of September 2014, the 6^th International Commission for Dialogue  between Orthodox and Anglicans visited the Patriarchate, after having venerated at the Holy Sepulcher and at the Church of the Resurrection of the Lord.

The Dialogue Commission was received by H.B., Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem, and Hagiotaphite Fathers.

His Beatitude praised the effort to carry on the Dialogue and wished that the All-Holy Spirit illuminate their work towards mutual understanding and rapprochement in the benefit of the faithful adhering to both Churches.

Patriarch Theophilos went on to underline the work undertaken by the Patriarchate as regards the safekeeping of the All-Holy Sites of Veneration, as well as the protection and pastoral custody of Christians in the Holy Land.

Partakers in the Dialogue, mainly Bishops and priests, thanked His Beatitude for receiving them and also for attending, the day before, the opening of their deliberations. They also asked for His blessing and prayers towards fruitful and advantageous decisions.

From the Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/KKMno27EqIs

Jerusalem, 18 September 2014

Your Eminences,

Your Graces,

Respected Members of the International Commission,

Sisters and Brothers,

We welcome you, dear friends, to the Holy City of Jerusalem for this meeting of the International Commission for Anglican-Orthodox Dialogue. It was just over 40 years ago that the first meeting of what was then the newly established Anglican-Orthodox Joint Doctrinal Discussions met in Oxford, and the intervening years have seen much progress and the publication of three important reports. This fourth phase of the Dialogue on which you have been working continues this significant work.

Your focus is on Christian anthropology, and this is proving to be a timely subject. Recently your Orthodox co-chairman, His Eminence Metropolitan Kallistos, published a small but important book, in which he has stated that he believes that the focus of Orthodox theological enquiry will shift from ecclesiology, which occupied so much Orthodox thought in the 20^th century, to anthropology. This is certainly a welcome development, and we are encouraged that this Dialogue is taking this subject seriously.

Metropolitan Kallistos reminds us of four reasons why a proper theological understanding of anthropology is so urgent. He cites the phenomena of globalization and urbanization and the threat that these pose to the integrity of the individual; the dominance of technology and its growing role in supplanting direct human to human relationships; issues of ethics, including genetic engineering and changes in the institution of marriage; and finally the growing ecological crisis that the world faces.

These are all pressing issues for the Church, and demand a principled, theological response. But we would like to add a fifth urgent reason why we believe that a focus on anthropology is a crucial one for you, and for the Church as a whole. It is a reason that is profoundly shaped by our experience here in the Holy Land and in the broader region of the Middle East, especially during the present crisis.

We are experiencing war, violence and terrorism on an unprecedented scale and the integrity of the fabric of the life of the Middle East is under terrible threat. Essential to our identity in this region is our cultural, religious, and ethnic diversity. But there are forces abroad in our region that seek to eliminate individuals, communities, and entire cultures from our life. Such activity, if successful, will rob us of that dynamic of mutual interdependence that has characterized life in the Middle East for centuries.

It is inconceivable, for example, to think of a Middle East without a flourishing Christian community. Just as it is inconceivable to think of the Middle East without flourishing Jewish and Muslim communities. This region is home to all of us, and in this common home we must continue to forge a human community based on fundamental freedoms and basic human rights, with security, peace and justice for all our peoples.

To eradicate war, violence, and terrorism requires a clear and convincing articulation of anthropology – of the meaning and value of the human person. Our opposition as Christians to the atrocities we see every day is founded on the biblical and patristic articulation of the human person as one who is created in the image and likeness of God. This is the irreducible truth that the Christian tradition proclaims about the dignity of the human person, and from this truth flows all that we say about the flourishing of the individual and the human community.

The Orthodox and Anglican traditions share a grounding in, and a devotion to, the patristic mind. Over the generations, Anglican patristic scholarship, always of the highest quality, and Orthodox patristic reflection, always a living expression of the Church’s faith, have given us eloquent testimony to the ongoing relevance of the patristic heritage to our present life. This common ground that Orthodox and Anglicans share is a great gift to us, and one that has the power to deepen further our joint theological exploration.

We therefore commend you in the work that you are doing as being of urgent benefit not just for the Dialogue, but for the broader and crucial work for peace in this region and around the world. In too many places, too many people believe that human beings are things that can easily be thrown away or disposed of as if they are simply rubbish. We who testify to the truth of the Incarnation, of the mystery of the God who becomes fully human for the salvation of the world, have a singular contribution to make in changing the human consciousness in this regard.

With respect to Anglican-Orthodox relations more generally, we wish to remind you of the close historic relationship that has existed for so long between the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Church of England, the Anglican Communion, and the local Anglican Church here in the Holy Land. This is a relationship that the Patriarchate values highly and is committed to upholding. We recognize that there are significant challenges on the road to unity; but we also understand that we share a common human destiny and we can never tire of searching for a way to a deeper life together. For this reason of our special relationship, we are delighted to welcome you.

May God bless your work together in this Dialogue, and may you know the blessing, hope and peace of Jerusalem, which is our common home.

Thank you.

His Beatitude

THEOPHILOS III

Patriarch of Jerusalem

Jerusalem, 18 September 2014

Your Eminences,

Your Graces,

Respected Members of the International Commission,

Sisters and Brothers,

We welcome you, dear friends, to the Holy City of Jerusalem for this meeting of the International Commission for Anglican-Orthodox Dialogue. It was just over 40 years ago that the first meeting of what was then the newly established Anglican-Orthodox Joint Doctrinal Discussions met in Oxford, and the intervening years have seen much progress and the publication of three important reports. This fourth phase of the Dialogue on which you have been working continues this significant work.

Your focus is on Christian anthropology, and this is proving to be a timely subject. Recently your Orthodox co-chairman, His Eminence Metropolitan Kallistos, published a small but important book, in which he has stated that he believes that the focus of Orthodox theological enquiry will shift from ecclesiology, which occupied so much Orthodox thought in the 20^th century, to anthropology. This is certainly a welcome development, and we are encouraged that this Dialogue is taking this subject seriously.

Metropolitan Kallistos reminds us of four reasons why a proper theological understanding of anthropology is so urgent. He cites the phenomena of globalization and urbanization and the threat that these pose to the integrity of the individual; the dominance of technology and its growing role in supplanting direct human to human relationships; issues of ethics, including genetic engineering and changes in the institution of marriage; and finally the growing ecological crisis that the world faces.

These are all pressing issues for the Church, and demand a principled, theological response. But we would like to add a fifth urgent reason why we believe that a focus on anthropology is a crucial one for you, and for the Church as a whole. It is a reason that is profoundly shaped by our experience here in the Holy Land and in the broader region of the Middle East, especially during the present crisis.

We are experiencing war, violence and terrorism on an unprecedented scale and the integrity of the fabric of the life of the Middle East is under terrible threat. Essential to our identity in this region is our cultural, religious, and ethnic diversity. But there are forces abroad in our region that seek to eliminate individuals, communities, and entire cultures from our life. Such activity, if successful, will rob us of that dynamic of mutual interdependence that has characterized life in the Middle East for centuries.

It is inconceivable, for example, to think of a Middle East without a flourishing Christian community. Just as it is inconceivable to think of the Middle East without flourishing Jewish and Muslim communities. This region is home to all of us, and in this common home we must continue to forge a human community based on fundamental freedoms and basic human rights, with security, peace and justice for all our peoples.

To eradicate war, violence, and terrorism requires a clear and convincing articulation of anthropology – of the meaning and value of the human person. Our opposition as Christians to the atrocities we see every day is founded on the biblical and patristic articulation of the human person as one who is created in the image and likeness of God. This is the irreducible truth that the Christian tradition proclaims about the dignity of the human person, and from this truth flows all that we say about the flourishing of the individual and the human community.

The Orthodox and Anglican traditions share a grounding in, and a devotion to, the patristic mind. Over the generations, Anglican patristic scholarship, always of the highest quality, and Orthodox patristic reflection, always a living expression of the Church’s faith, have given us eloquent testimony to the ongoing relevance of the patristic heritage to our present life. This common ground that Orthodox and Anglicans share is a great gift to us, and one that has the power to deepen further our joint theological exploration.

We therefore commend you in the work that you are doing as being of urgent benefit not just for the Dialogue, but for the broader and crucial work for peace in this region and around the world. In too many places, too many people believe that human beings are things that can easily be thrown away or disposed of as if they are simply rubbish. We who testify to the truth of the Incarnation, of the mystery of the God who becomes fully human for the salvation of the world, have a singular contribution to make in changing the human consciousness in this regard.

With respect to Anglican-Orthodox relations more generally, we wish to remind you of the close historic relationship that has existed for so long between the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Church of England, the Anglican Communion, and the local Anglican Church here in the Holy Land. This is a relationship that the Patriarchate values highly and is committed to upholding. We recognize that there are significant challenges on the road to unity; but we also understand that we share a common human destiny and we can never tire of searching for a way to a deeper life together. For this reason of our special relationship, we are delighted to welcome you.

May God bless your work together in this Dialogue, and may you know the blessing, hope and peace of Jerusalem, which is our common home.

Thank you.

His Beatitude

THEOPHILOS III

Patriarch of Jerusalem

On Thursday, the 5th/18th of September 2014, the 6th Meeting of the International Commission for Theological Dialogue between Orthodox and Anglicans opened officially at the conference hall near St George’s Anglican Church.

Participating in the meeting were: the Patriarchate of Alexandria, represented by the Most Reverend Seraphim, Metropolitan of Zimbabwe; the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, represented by Archimandrite Aristovoulos, who has succeeded f. Georgios Dragas, Protopresbyter and professor at the Boston Theological School of the Holy Cross; the Church of Cyprus, represented by the Most Reverend Chrysostomos, Metropolitan of Kition. The Patriarchates of Antioch, Russia and Serbia were also represented at the meeting. Mr Christos Christakis, presbyter of the Archbishopric of America, served as Secretary-General of the Commission on behalf of the Orthodox.

The Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem, Mr Suheil Dawani, opened the dialogue with a brief report on Christians in the Holy Land, and the contribution of the Church to them through educational institutions and hospitals, citing as example the Gaza hospital which tended to the wounded in the midst of hostilities.

His Beatitude Theophilos, Patriarch of Jerusalem, welcomed participants with an address in English, see: https://en.jerusalem-patriarchate.info/2014/09/18/8992

Welcoming speeches were also delivered by the well-known professor and Assistant to the Bishop of Diokleia, Kallistos (Timothy Ware) representing the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and the Archbishop of Perth, Australia, co-chairing the meeting on behalf of the Anglican Church.

The event was followed by a wider discussion among participants in the Church Forecourt.

 From the Secretariat-General

On Wednesday, the 4^th/17^th of September 2014, the theological dialogue between the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Church officially opened at the “Conference Center” of the Jordan Government, near the Lord’s Baptismal Site in the East Bank of the river Jordan.

The theological dialogue, first initiated in 1980, carries on as bilateral Committees of the two participating Churches meet every two years at a location proposed by the Church assigned to host the 70 members.

This year, the Orthodox Church hosts the dialogue at the subvention of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Jordan was proposed as location for the meeting of the Joint International Commission, according to the recent request of His All-Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, and the Secretary-General of the Orthodox Committee for the Dialogue, the Most Reverend Gennadios, Metropolitan of Sasima.

The topic examined by the Joint International Committee, which will be working at the Landmark Hotel in Amman between Monday the 2^nd/15^th of September and Tuesday the 10^th/23^rd of September 2014, is “Synodality and Primacy”.

His Eminence Theophanes, Archbishop of Gerassa, represents the Patriarchate of Jerusalem at the dialogue, together with the Emeritus Professor at the University of Athens Theological School, Mr Georgios Galitis.

On the aforementioned day, the 4^th/17^th of September 2014, partakers in the dialogue visited the Holy Monastery of John the Baptist on the West Bank of the river Jordan, where they were welcomed by H.B. Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem; the Monastery’s founder, the Most Reverend Benedict, Metropolitan of Philadelphia; the Elder Secretary-General, Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina, and Archimandrite Ieronymos, abbot in Fhes. From there, they proceeded to the bank of the Jordan river, to be blessed in its waters.

Subsequently, the representatives of the two Churches gathered at the “Conference Hall” where the Secretary General of the Orthodox Commission, Gennadios of Sassima, welcomed Patriarch Theophilos and called upon Him to address the gathering. The Patriarch’s address, in English, may be read here: https://en.jerusalem-patriarchate.info/2014/09/15/8925

In his reply speech, Cardinal Koch said how pleased he was for the fact that the meeting took place on a site of such spiritual significance, namely the Lord’s Baptismal, especially during a period when Christians are being persecuted.

The event closed with the words of the Co-Chairman, Metropolitan Ioannis of Pergamos, pointing out that the cause of conciliation between the Churches must resonate strongly in the Middle East, a region marked by conflict among peoples, and plagued by numerous human victims and the destruction of basic infrastructures of human life.

A reception followed, during which partakers in the dialogue had the opportunity to exchange views beyond the agenda. His Beatitude left thereafter for his See in Jerusalem.

From the Secretariat-General

15 September 2014,

The Baptism Site Bethany-Beyond-the Jordan / Jordan

Your Eminences,

Your Graces,

Reverend Fathers,

Beloved Monastics,

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

We greet you, dear distinguished participants, with words that we shall sing in a few days as the Orthodox Church in the Holy Land celebrates the Nativity of the Mother of God,

Your birth, Ο Theotokos, brought joy to the whole world, for from you dawned the sun of righteousness, Christ our God. Freeing us from the curse, he gave us his blessings. Abolishing death, he granted us eternal life. (Apolytikion, 4^th Tone)

We meet, therefore, in the light of the Incarnation, which was promised to us in the birth of the Theotokos. This is the light that shines from the cave in Bethlehem. This is the eternal, uncreated light that shines from Mount Tabor and from the Holy Tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is “the light of all people,” “the light that shines in the darkness”, “the true light, which enlightens everyone”, (John, 1:4,5 and 9). May this same light illumine your work in this dialogue!

Just four months ago, we welcomed Patriarch Bartholomew and Pope Francis to Jerusalem to commemorate the historic meeting in the Holy City 50 years before of their predecessors Patriarch Athenagoras and Pope Paul VI. That meeting led to the lifting of the mutual excommunications that had been directed against our respective Churches in 1054, and opened the way to a new ecumenical future, of which this international dialogue is a principal result.

The work of reconciliation must be carried out at every level of our life – in the Church, in our local communities, and in our world. At a time of unprecedented violence and turmoil in so many parts of the world, and especially in our region, we know how crucial the witness of the Gospel is for the human community, and how much people long for the light of hope. The Churches must find new ways of acting together in common witness and common work so that, in spite of the differences that divide us, we may show a hurting world that the reconciling love of our Lord Jesus Christ is real, and transforms individuals and nations.

The proclamation of the Gospel is under pressure everywhere, even in countries that have historically been shaped by Christian civilization. Your work in examining carefully our respective theological and spiritual heritages and the ways in which we can grow more closely together in mutual respect and understanding, help to ensure the integrity and effectiveness of this proclamation.

As we welcome you, we wish to acknowledge the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah ll Ιbn al-Hussein in ensuring in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan freedom of worship, and a genuine symbiosis where people of different religions, ethnicities, and cultures live side by side in peace and harmony as one nation. And we wish to express our gratitude to His Royal Highness Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, who has been principally responsible for all the arrangements for your work here in Jordan.

We are gathered here in this Holy Place of the Baptism Site, and we recall the words of our Lord Jesus Christ to Nicodemus: “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit” (John 3:5). There can be no genuine dialogue without the presence and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, for it is the Holy Spirit that leads us into all truth (cf. John 16:13).

May God bless you and may the Holy Spirit be present in your work together. May the light of the Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God, shine upon you, and illumine your hearts and your minds, and may both our Churches benefit from fresh understandings of ancient truths, so that we may be faithful in our path of dialogue and our spiritual mission.

Thank you.

HIS BEATITUDE

THEOPHILOS III

PATRIARCH OF JERUSALEM

On Saturday, the 31^st of August/13^th of September 2014, Novice Antonios was tonsured as monk at the Patriarchate.

Novice Antonios was ordained as monk by His Beatitude, Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem, receiving by Him the name Anastasios, in the presence of Hagiotaphite Fathers and novices at the School.

After the tonsure, His Beatitude advised f. Antonios through paternal words, saying that the Hagiotaphite Brotherhood received him into its orders after examining his ethos and service at the Holy Monastery of St Savvas the Consecrated , in the School of St Sion, and during the processions of Sts Constantine and Helen Church. H.B. urged f. Antonios to remain a laborer of true monastic humbleness and a deacon of the members of the Church as a Hagiotaphite monk amidst the world, a guardian of the All-Holy Shrines, doing justice to the name he was given, that of St Anastatios of Sinai.

After the Patriarchal Polychronism, His Beatitude and the Patriarchal retinue congratulated the newly tonsured monk at the Patriarchate’s hall.

From the Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/x7xwls7P6Nw