On Wednesday, April 4/17, 2024, at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and during the service of the Small Compline, the Great Canon was chanted, and presided over by His Eminence Archbishop Theophanes of Gerash. The following Archimandrites delivered the chanting; Nicodemus, Claudius, Bartholomew, Epiphanios, Dionysios, Christodoulos, Priest Ioannis Antoniou, Archdeacon Mark and Hierodeacon Simeon. The service was attended by monks, nuns, and members of the Church.

This Canon is a brilliant theological and literature poem from Saint Andrew from Jerusalem, Archbishop of Crete. The Canon includes a multitude of Old Testament characters portrayed as examples to imitate their virtues or avoid their sins. This is for our better participation in the Great Lent towards the Holy Pascha, in contrition, humility, and repentance.

From Secretariat-General

On the Fourth Sunday of Lent, April 1/14, 2024, the feast of the Adoration of the Holy Cross was celebrated in the Holy Monastery of the Holy Cross, located in western New Jerusalem near the Jewish Parliament.

Following the Status Quo, this feast was also celebrated in the Holy Monastery of the Cross because of the tradition that the wood of the Cross, on which the Lord was crucified for our salvation, was planted by the righteous Lot in the place where the Holy Monastery is located following the directive of Patriarch Abraham.

On this occasion, Vespers was celebrated on Saturday afternoon by Holy Sepulchre Hieromonks with Archimandrite Ieronymos first in rank. On Sunday morning the Divine Liturgy was officiated by H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos with the co-celebration of their Eminences, Metropolitan Kyriakos of Nazareth, the Archbishops, Aristarchos of Constantina and Methodios of Tabor, the Dragoman Archimandrite Mattheos, the Hegoumen in Madaba, Archimandrite Ieronymos, Priest Ioannis Antoniou and other Priests. The service was attended by the representative of the Greek Consulate General in Jerusalem Mrs Anna Mandika and monks, nuns and members of our flock.

Before the Holy Communion His Beatitude delivered the following Sermon:

“God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Gal. 6:14), the wise Apostle Paul preaches.

Beloved brethren in Christ,

Dear Christians,

The power of the Holy and Life-giving Cross of our God and Saviour Christ has gathered us in this holy place, where the three-composed tree was planted and the Monastery of the Cross was built, so that we may solemnly and in thanksgiving venerate the Wood of the Cross, through which, “God our King, before the ages, he hath wrought salvation in the midst of the earth” (Ps. 73,12) as David prophetically sings.

Indeed, the one who through sufferings, even though he was finished on the Cross [Jesus] became the cause of eternal salvation for all who obey him (Heb. 5:9), as preached by Saint Paul.

The Holy Cross, which was shown to be the instrument of redemption, is inextricably linked to death, pain, and the blood of Christ, ” In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence” (Eph. 1, 7-8), as the wise Paul says again.

According to the revelation of the Evangelist John, the Cross is the saving tree, i.e. “the tree of life”. ” To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” (Revelation 2,7). And in more detail: “To him who will win in the battle against Satan and sin, I will give him to eat from the tree of life. In other words, I will claim him to enjoy the eternal goods in the Paradise of my Father, Who according to my human nature is also my God”, says the Lord.

Athanasios the Great, admiring the plan of God, Who through the cross leads the faithful to salvation and defeats the work of the devil, says: “O divine true wisdom and heavenly thinking! The Cross was set up and idolatry was destroyed. A Cross was raised and a diabolical dynasty was condemned” (P.G. 28, 1056)

The devil was condemned out of God’s infinite love for man: ” Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour” (Eph. 5, 1-2), Paul preaches.

It is worth noting that the living offering and sacrifice of Christ was made on the wood of the Cross, which is why the Cross is also called an “altar” where ” the Lamb of God [was placed] which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Greater still … here the gift of the altar is laid and by the gift the altar is sanctified”.

  In other words, Christ, Who is the gift, is “greater”, i.e. superior to the altar, therefore the altar, i.e. the wood of the cross, is sanctified by the offered gift, the sacrificed Christ. According to St. John of Damascus, the wood of the cross is true and venerable, in which Christ offered Himself as a sacrifice for us…sanctified by the grace of the Holy Body and Blood”, therefore “venerated”. Moreover, “we also venerate the type of the honourable and life-giving cross, even if it is made from other material, not honouring the material, not the birth, but the type as a symbol of Christ”.

In his homily, Saint Sophronios Patriarch of Jerusalem on the veneration of the Holy and Life-giving Cross in the middle week of Holy Pentecost, says in praise: “Hail, Holy Cross, where the Son and Word of God rested His hands and hugged us and brought us to Heavenly Father … and in you, Holy Cross, the divine blood of the Son and Word of the invisible Father was shed”.

This Holy Cross was prefigured by the Tree of Life, the one planted in heaven by God (where death is through wood, so through wood life and resurrection are given). “This Holy Cross was prefigured by the tree of life, which was planted in Heaven by God. Because death came through wood, life and resurrection had to come through wood” St. John of Damascus says.

And because our God is the Saviour, all people will be saved (Tim. 1′ 2-4) first He planted the tree of life in the middle of Paradise, when the fullness of time had not come, he planted the tree of salvation in the secret Paradise, that is, in the Virgin Mary, from whom Christ sprung from her pure blood, as Saint Cosmas Bishop of Maiuma exclaims in a hymn, saying: “O Theotokos, thou art a mystical paradise, which being untilled hath blossomed forth Christ, by Whom the life-giving Tree of the Cross was planted in the earth. In worshipping Him now through its exaltation, thee do we magnify” (Katavasiae of the Cross, Ode 9).

The fruit of the life-giving tree of the Cross, my beloved brothers, is the body and blood of Christ risen from the dead, of which we are called to eat and drink according to His command: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.” (John 6:53). ” He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him” (John 6:56).

The wise Paul often refers to the redemptive blood of Christ’s Cross. And this is because, through this blood, we are redeemed (Romans 5,9), we are bought (Eph’. 1,7), we become God’s property (Acts 20,28) and the unity and communion between believers in the eucharistic cup is declared (Cor. 10,16/11, 25-28). Moreover, the death of the Lord is reported, and His coming is declared “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come” (1 Corinthians 11:26).

This is why St. John of Damascus says in a hymn: We glorify your life-giving Cross, Christ God, your three-day Resurrection, for by it you renewed the corrupt nature of men, and raised it to the heavens forever, as the only good and philanthropist.

Let us, my beloved brothers, beseech the Mother of God, who gave birth to the One who was lifted up on the Cross, so that by the great power of the Holy Cross we may reach the luminous Resurrection of our Saviour. Amen. Many happy and peaceful returns”.

The Liturgy was followed by the service and procession of the Adoration of the Holy Cross.

Finally, the Hegoumen Archimandrite Christodoulos hosted a modest treat at the rectory.

From Secretariat-General

On March 26/April 8, 2024, the day of commemoration of the Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel, the Feast of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary was celebrated by transference according to the Status Quo in the holy shrine of Gethsemane, in which the Theotokos’ Tomb lies.

The feast and the Divine Liturgy were presided over by His Eminence Metropolitan Isychios of Kapitolias, with the co-celebration of the Holy Sepulchre Archimandrites, Philoumenos, Meletios, Dionysios, Ieronymos, Amfilochios, Priest George Baramki, Archdeacon Mark and Hierodeacon Dositheos. The chanting was delivered by Hierodeacon Simeon, Fr. Ioannis Antoniou and the students of the Patriarchal School of Sion. The service was attended by monks, nuns and local pilgrims.

After the Divine Liturgy, a treat was offered at the rectory by the zealous guardian and restorer of the Holy shrine of Gethsemane, His Eminence Metropolitan Joachim of Helenoupolis.

From Secretariat-General

On Sunday, March 25 / April 7, 2024, the feast of the Annunciation of Our Lady the Theotokos was celebrated in Nazareth.

On this feast, the whole Church, especially that in Jerusalem, commemorates the fact that the fullness of time has come, God through the Archangel Gabriel announced to the Virgin Mary in the city of Nazareth that by the Holy Spirit she will incarnate the Only Begotten Son and His Word, our Lord Jesus Christ. In parallel and according to the standard of the fixed calendar, the feast of the veneration of the Holy Cross was celebrated to strengthen us in the struggle of fasting for the reception of Holy Easter.

On the occasion of this holiday, a celebration was held for a Divine Liturgy in the Holy Church-Shrine of the Annunciation of the Theotokos in Nazareth, presided over by H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos. Concelebrating with Him were their Eminences, the Metropolitan Kyriakos of Nazareth, the Archbishops; Damascene of Yaffo, Aristarchos of Constantina, Methodios of Tabor, Holy Sepulchre Hieromonks, with first in rank the Elder Kamarasis Archimandrite Nectarios, the Head of the Russian Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem (MISSIA) Archimandrite Vassianos, Priests of the area of Nazareth and Acre, Archdeacon Mark and Hierodeacon Eulogios, at the attendance of a large congregation. The chanting was delivered by the choir of Nazareth and the choir of Beersheba under the Most Reverend Archbishop of Aristovoulos of Madaba in the presence of the President of the Nazareth Community Mr Bassim Asfour, the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel Mr Cezar Marjieh, the representative of the Greek Embassy to Tel Aviv Mr Nikolaos Mavroedis and the representative of Russia to Israel Mr Vladimir Victorov.

Before the Holy Communion His Beatitude delivered the following Sermon:

“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us (Isaiah 7,14 / Matt. 1,23), Isaiah prophesized and the Evangelist Matthew interprets.

Beloved Brethren in Christ,

Reverend Christians and pilgrims

The grace of the Holy Spirit which overshadowed the Virgin Mary has gathered us all in this holy place of the biblical city of Nazareth to celebrate the great and redeeming mystery of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, as the psalmist says: “Sing unto the Lord, bless His Name; proclaim from day to day the good tidings of His salvation” (Ps 95,1).

These words of David, “the salvation of God”, are no other than the reply of Archangel Gabriel to the wondering Mariam “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” (Luke 1,34), “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore, also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1,35).

Both the Old and the New Testament are the holy history, the revelation, the revealing of the eternal wisdom and will of God, which is no other than “the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began” (Romans 16,25), which was announced to the Virgin Mary, revealed in Christ and preached by the Apostles. This is the One who “shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest” (Luke 1,32). The greeting of the Archangel Gabriel, “Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women” (Luke 1,28), and Mariam’s words, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word” (Luke 1,38), made Mariam the Mother of God, a partaker and contributor to “the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever” (Romans 16,25-27), Saint Paul preaches. And in more detail; this mystery has been revealed now, and it has been confirmed by the prophesies in the scriptures and has become known to all the nations by God’s command, so that they may display the obedience befitting to faith. Such an example of obedience of faith was the Virgin Mariam, obeying the words of Archangel Gabriel, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word” (Luke 1,38). “Obedience is displayed by faith, not by much knowledge. And when God commands to obey, one should not examine how”, Saint John of Damascus says.

Moreover, the Lord Himself “became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him” (Hebrews 5,9), while the Virgin Mariam was “Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience” (1 Tim. 3,9). That is why the Archangel told her, “Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus” (Luke 1,30-31). Saint Theophylaktos says about this, “Righteously He was called Jesus, who came for the salvation of our race; for this name in Greek means salvation, therefore Jesus means salvation”.

But what is the salvation, and what does the word saviour mean? “Salvation” is the correction of the foremother Eve’s fault, as Saint John of Damascus says, “Rejoice, Mary, thou the only one blessed among women, who has corrected Eve’s fault”. “Rejoice the only one blessed among women, thou who has raised the humble race of the fallen women”. “Rejoice, for through you we have been saved from an unspeakable curse and have been filled with joy”.

“Saviour” means the new Adam, that is God the Word, our Lord Jesus Christ, who was conceived in flesh from the Holy Spirit by the pure flesh of the Virgin Mary. “Rejoice, thou who art full of grace”, thou who are above all joy and name, from whom the unspeakable joy Christ, is born unto the world and has become the healing of Adam’s sorrow”, Saint John of Damascus exclaims.

 Adam’s sorrow is the sin, the death, which befell upon humankind through the first created Adam, while salvation is bestowed through Jesus Christ, who is the “healing”, the new Adam, who was born unto the world, the Son and Word of God. He was conceived in a manner incomprehensible to any mind from the pure flesh of the Virgin Mary, that is why the hymnographer of the Church says, “Today the preludes of universal joy move us to sing the prefestal hymn; for behold Gabriel cometh, bringing the good tidings to the Virgin, and shall cry to her: Rejoice, thou who art full of grace, the Lord is with thee” (Apolytikion).

It is noteworthy that the grace Mariam received from God is the same grace that God has given to the members of the Church, “Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all” (Eph. 1,23) according to Paul. In other words, in the most blessed Virgin Mary the Theotokos, we see the mystery of the Church which God loved and sanctified, “as His bride” (cf. Eph. 5,32). “He that hath the bride is the bridegroom” (John 3,29), John the Evangelist says. The bride is the humankind, which is wed to Christ through the Virgin Mary, Saint Cyril of Alexandria says.

This event, my dear ones, shows the strong bond of the mystery of the Virgin Theotokos and of the mystery of the Church. That is why Saint John of Damascus exclaims, “Rejoice, thou who art full of grace, through whom we have become members of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church”.

We praise and magnify today the Virgin Mary who received the annunciation, “of the salvation of God” and ask her and the theologian John of Damascus: Extend thy mercy most pure Lady, to those who know thee, and look favourably down upon thine servants and their works, and guide them in the path of peace, for all people’s eyes are turned unto thee in hope, and have your intercession to your Son and God and our God, to whom be all glory the power and the might, together with His Father without beginning, and the Holy Spirit of the same one essence, now and forever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. Have a blessed Lent and a holy Pascha, through which Adam returned to Paradise”.

At the end of the Liturgy, there was a supplication for the donors of the renovation of the shrine and the whole Church, followed by the scouts’ parade.

A small reception followed in the hall of the Metropolis.

At noon, a meal was hosted by the Holy Metropolis in a restaurant in the city. His Beatitude addressed those present at the meal through His following address:

“Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women” (Luke 1,28).

Your Eminence, Metropolitan Kyriakos of Nazareth,

Honourable President of the Ecclesiastical Council and respected members,

Dear companions

Today our holy Church celebrates the great universal event of the Annunciation of the Most Blessed Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary and the Adoration of the Precious and Life-giving Cross of our Saviour Jesus Christ.

The Annunciation of the Theotokos is the “chapter of the salvation of humankind”, while the Precious Cross refers to the salvation of the souls of the people. “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8,36) the Lord says. “Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven” (Ps. 85,11), the psalmist proclaims.

This message of truth and righteousness is proclaimed by the Gospel of Christ, which has been preached all over the world by the Holy Apostles of Christ. The Mother of all Churches, our Church of Jerusalem has received this Gospel, as the holy consignment from the Holy Apostles, especially from its first Hierarch, James, the Brother of God.

We say this, because Christ says, “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness” (John 12,46). This light was granted to the world by the Mother of God, who is praised and magnified today. This unwaning light shines in Christ and through Christ in His Church, and in the Church of Jerusalem, which is founded upon the redeeming blood of the Son of God on the Cross.

This event of the mystery of the Divine Providence and reverence is witnessed throughout the centuries by the Christian presence in the Holy Land, in the cities of Jerusalem Bethlehem and Nazareth.

No one can deny nor refute this truth, that is why we, my dear ones preach and confess the God of love and utmost philanthropy, the Sun of Righteousness and peace and are called to remain steadfast and unshakable in our holy mission. This is what the incarnate from the pure flesh of the Virgin Mary Son of God ordered His disciples, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 5,16).

We do not exaggerate in saying that the Rum Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem is the guarantee of the safekeeping of our faith, intact and unblemished, and the undivided unity of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. In the Holy place of the Church of Jerusalem, at the Rum Orthodox Patriarchate, “grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1,17). And in the blessed place of Nazareth, the Virgin Mary became a receiver of God’s grace, hearing the words, “Rejoice, thou who art full of grace”.

Many happy and peaceful returns, and a Blessed Pascha!”

Following this, His Eminence Metropolitan Kyriakos of Nazareth addressed His Beatitude as follows:

“Your Beatitude, Father and Master,

 “Today is the Gospel of joy, virgin festival, those below are joined to those above, Adam is renewed, or Eve is freed from the first sorrow”! The philanthropy of our Triune God towards us who are made of earth is an inexplicable and unspeakable mystery! The “eternal secret and unknown to angels” through our Lady the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, to us on earth was revealed here, in the Holy City of Nazareth through the Archangel of the Heavenly Powers Gabriel, who was sent to “bring… the word of salvation”.

 Today we welcome, our Father and Patriarch, like another Archangel Gabriel “proclaiming the word of truth”, sealing the archangelic hymn “Hail, thou who art full of grace” and presiding over the Feast!

 Your Beatitude, we express from the bottom of our hearts gratitude to Your grace, for everything you have contributed to the support of this God-given province. The renovation works in the Holy Shrine of the Annunciation and in the Metropolitan Holy Church of Saint George, following the blessing and exhortation of Your Beatitude, are commemorated here, works which will remain indelible in time, testifying to the glorious governing of the Church of Jerusalem by Your Holy Beatitude.

 Your Beatitude, we wholeheartedly pray that the Lord our God, through the intercessions of the Most Gracious Theotokos Mary and the Archangel Gabriel, grant You good health to continue the wise steering of the mental ship of the Mother of all Churches, the Holy Zion! Many returns.”

From Secretariat-General

On Sunday, March 25 / April 7, 2024, the feast of the Adoration of the Holy Cross and the Annunciation of the Theotokos was celebrated by the Patriarchate in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

In the context of movable feasts, the Feast of the Cross was celebrated as a veneration of the Holy Cross for the strengthening of the faithful in the middle of the fasting period of Holy and Great Lent, and the Feast of the Annunciation in the context of immovable feasts on March 25 as the joyous news from God through the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that from the Holy Spirit she will incarnate the Son and Word of God.

This feast was celebrated with Great Vespers on Saturday afternoon in the Catholicon of the Church of the Resurrection, presided over by our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos, with the co-prayer of the High Priests and the co-celebration of the priests. The chanting was delivered by Hierodeacon Simeon and Priest Ioannis Antoniou.

The feast was also celebrated in the morning with a Divine Liturgy in the Holy and Life-giving Tomb, presided over by the Most Reverend Metropolitan Isychios of Kapitolias, with the co-celebration of their Eminences the Archbishops, Theodosios of Sebasteia and Demetrios of Lydda, and Archimandrites of the Brotherhood. The service was attended by local believers, in the presence of the Consul Mrs Anna Madika.

After the Divine Liturgy, there was a litany three times around the Holy Sepulchre and once around the shrines.

At the end of the litany, the Episcopal procession went up to the Patriarchate where His Eminence spoke to those present and a festive treat was served.

The address of His Eminence follows below:

“Exercising the virtues is not an easy task. Beyond personal strong will, the sanctifying power of our Church is also necessary. Thus, the holy Fathers decreed, in the middle of the holy period of Great Lent, that the Holy Cross of the Lord should be worshipped, so that the faithful may receive from it grace and strength to continue with strength our spiritual struggle.

The Cross of Christ is the pride of our Church and the invincible weapon against the forces of evil. Upon it, the kingdom of the devil was crushed and his power was annihilated. From him came redemption and immortality to the human race. Our Church sings triumphantly: “Lord, your cross is our weapon against the devil…” and “Now that the Cross is appearing, it provides strength amid fasting, we willingly honour it with reverence”.

From a murderous and hateful means of execution of criminals, it changed into a means of sanctification and a mental shield of protection from the counsels of Lucifer and his dark fallen angels. Others liken it to a strong breakwater against the shocks of life, which are caused by evil and sin. The physical fatigue of fasting and the mental laziness of the spiritual struggle are two main factors that can inhibit the believer’s ascetic journey. The sanctifying power of the Cross is the antidote to this situation.

The Cross of Christ, apart from being a divine symbol of our Church, also has a moral significance for every believer. As the Lord brought His own Cross to Golgotha, burdened with the iniquities of the entire human race, the believer of Christ carries his personal cross, the struggle for salvation and completion. The road to salvation is a real Golgotha and requires self-denial from those who climb it. The Lord confirmed it: “Whoever wants to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34). The holy period of the Triodion is par excellence a crucifixion and a conceivable crucifixion of our passions.

That is why our holy Church dedicated this Sunday to the veneration of the Holy Cross. The faithful, drawing grace from it, now strengthened and renewed, we resist the obstacles set up by the wicked and we walk the heavenly road unscathed, guided by the joy and longing to meet our Risen Lord Jesus Christ on the holy and brilliant day of His resurrection.

Today, however, the great feast of the Adoration of the Cross coincides with another great feast of the Theotokos, the Annunciation of the Virgin and according to the evangelist Luke (1′ 26-38), the Annunciation of the Virgin happened six months after the miraculous conception of John the Forerunner by Elizabeth, the wife of Zacharias, when the archangel Gabriel was sent by God to the Virgin Mariam (Mary), to announce to her that she would give birth to the Son of God. At that time, Mary lived in Nazareth of Galilee and was betrothed to the carpenter Joseph. Gabriel suddenly appeared before Mary and greeted her: “Hail, thou who art full of grace, the Lord is with thee”. It was reasonable for the young woman to panic, but the archangel reassured her: ” Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son and shalt call his name Jesus”.

As soon as she recovered from the turmoil, Mary full of wonder asked the archangel how she would conceive, since she did not know a man. Gabriel answered her that the Holy Spirit would cover her like a cloud and would invisibly and mysteriously initiate the conception of the Son of God. To make himself more believable, he invoked Elizabeth’s miraculous conception of John the Forerunner. Mary was convinced by the words of Gabriel (“Behold the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done unto me according to your will”) and the archangel Gabriel “left”.

I raise a glass to the health of His Beatitude our Patriarch, Theophilos III, all of the Holy Sepulchre Brotherhood and all of you. Many happy returns!”

From Secretariat-General

On Monday, March 12/25, 2024, at 10.30 a.m. a Doxology was held in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on the national anniversary of March 25, 1821.

This Doxology was held as a prayer to God for the repose of the souls of the heroes and all the fighters of the holy war of 1821 and as a prayer of thanksgiving to God for His help to our nation, to shake off the unbearable yoke of Ottoman slavery and conquer not only freedom in Christ but also human freedom.

H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos presided over this Doxology, with the co-celebration of High Priests of the Patriarchate, at the honorary presence of the Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem Mr Dimitrios Angelosopoulos and members of the Hellenic Parish.

His Beatitude addressed those present in the Patriarchate Hall with the following address:

“It is time to shake off this unbearable yoke, to liberate the Motherland… to raise the mark by which we always win! I say the Cross, so that we may avenge our Homeland and our Orthodox Faith from the impious contempt of the impious.” From the proclamation of Alexandros Ypsilantis in Iasion, February 24, 1821.

Your Excellency Consul General of Greece Mr Dimitrios Angelosopoulos,

Dear Holy Fathers and Brothers,

Beloved brethren in the Lord.

The uprising of March 25, 1821, the anniversary of which we are celebrating, holds a prominent timeless position in world history. And this is because the Greek Revolution marked the ethno-religious rebirth of the Roman race from the ashes of the tyrannical slavery of the Ottomans on the one hand, and awakened the consciousness of peoples and nations deprived of their national freedom and independence on the other.

The enslaved Greeks, inspired by the order of the Apostle Paul: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage” (Gal. 5,1), rebelled against the unbearable Turkish yoke “Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine” (Ps. 78,65), as the psalmist says, exclaiming with a loud voice, “Freedom or Death”. Bishop Palaion Patron Germanos declared the beginning of the liberating struggle blessed and exalted the Banner of the Revolution, whose slogan according to the “Elder of Moria” Theodoros Kolokotronis was “now the struggle for the holy faith of Christ and the freedom of the country”.

This irrefutable fact is also proven by the proclamation of Alexandros Ypsilantis in Iasion on February 24, 1821, in which he declares: “It is time to shake off this unbearable yoke, to liberate the Motherland… to raise the mark by which we always win! I say the Cross, so that we may avenge our Homeland and our Orthodox Faith from the impious contempt of the impious”.

The special feature of the Revolution of 1821 is the fact that heroes of Patriotism and martyrs of the Faith emerged, so the Greek Romans are recognized as genuine imitators and indisputable continuations of their ancestors, but also guardians of the moral values and truths of the Greek-Christian tradition.

All the enslaved Greek land and space turns into a field of rebellion and hostilities. The now invincible desire for redemption from the sufferings of slavery overcame the fear of a foreign and non-religious conqueror.

It is worth noting that today’s anniversary of the national rebirth of 1821 is not only about the celebration of this historical memory but mainly and primarily about the “beginning of knowledge” of this moral and even to the point of blood sacrificial, ethno-religious achievement. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge… and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge” (Prov. 1,7,22), the wise Solomon says.

We say this because the Revolution of 1821 remains an eternal bright light, in our modern world of confusion, ignorance and the desires of hubris, of common universal moral values, especially of national freedom “from the bones of the sacred Greeks” according to the great poet Dionysios Solomos.

The contribution of the Church to the above-all national struggle was universal and decisive through the active participation of its clergy, including members of our Holy Sepulchre Brotherhood. Countless Hierarchs, such as Palaion Patron Germanos, the Bishops Isaiah of Salona and Joseph of Roga, the Archbishop Kyprianos in Cyprus and priests such as the Holy Martyr Cosmas Aetolos and simple monks, watered the tree of freedom with the blood of their martyrdom.

Our Venerable Holy Sepulchre Brotherhood, gratefully honouring and dutifully participating in the sacred memory of the rebirth of our pious Roman race and nation, came to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre of our Saviour Christ, where we rendered thanksgiving praise to the Holy Triune God. Moreover, we prayed fervently for eternal rest in the land of the living for the blessed souls of those who fought heroically for Faith and Country and fell gloriously, in the holy struggle of our nation.

Therefore, allow Us to raise our glass and exclaim as we should:

Long live March 25, 1821!

Long live the pious and royal race of the Rum Orthodox!

Long live Greece!

Long live our Holy Sepulchre Brotherhood!

This was followed by the address of the Consul General of Greece as follows:

“Your Beatitude,

Your Eminences,

Your Excellency Representative of Cyprus in Palestine,

Your Excellency Representative of Ireland to the Palestinian Authority,

Respected fathers and members of the Holy Sepulchre Brotherhood,

Dear compatriots and friends,

It is easy today, 200 and 3 years after the National Uprising of 1821, to often consider the Revolution and its happy outcome as an inevitable development, which was bound to come, to achieve the liberation of the Greeks and the fulfilment of their desire for independence. This certainty is, in one sense, a measure of the success of our country, which has managed, through the intervening two centuries, to ensure the stability that allows us to look towards the future, stepping on solid foundations.

However, two centuries ago, none of this was a given. Neither the Revolution nor much more its outcome was a necessity imposed by the flow of History. Our Nation’s noble Struggle for freedom was undertaken in an international environment of adversity. The agreement between the Great Powers of the time, at the base of the Congress of Vienna, the Holy Alliance, aimed at maintaining the status quo, the absolutist order of things, after the experience of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. Every revolutionary movement, whatever its motives, was a threat and had to be suppressed.

Unfavourable were also the circumstances of our Nation, which, for four centuries of cruel tyranny, struggled to preserve its identity, its faith and its values, its very language and its historical consciousness. The work of the Church in this regard was of decisive importance and the gratitude of Hellenism is due to it. As well as the work of numerous learned personalities, inside and outside the Greek territory, and of all those who with patience and self-sacrifice dedicated themselves to the rebirth of Greek education and intellect and to the Greek Enlightenment movement.

The available resources were also weak at the beginning of the Revolution. Little money, equipment and supplies, against the forces of an empire. The compensation for these shortcomings was the patient preparation of the Revolution, the military experience of a few but capable men, the careful utilization of every opportunity offered by the international situation and above all the mobilization of all the forces of the Nation, in the revolted country and abroad, for the realization of the vision of freedom. And boldness, with unwavering faith in the justice of this vision.

Under these conditions, the Struggle began, in 1821. Its unexpected military successes shook the certainty that it would be crushed. With the mobilization of the forces of the Greek diaspora and people favouring Greece, who believed in the principles of freedom, the developments on the battlefield gradually established the prospect of its success. The Church contributed the most to the support of the Struggle, on a material and spiritual level, as well as personalities who played a leading role in its success. Its sacrifices were similar, from the martyrdom of Patriarch Gregory V to the battlefields.

This is the most brilliant epic of our modern history, which founded modern Greece. Simultaneously with the war on land and sea, modern political institutions were being born, in an era dominated by autocracy. From the very first year of the Revolution, the insurgent Greeks drew up Constitutions, which established a democratic state, with provisions for the separation of powers, individual and political rights, absolute abolition of slavery in Greek territory, and for foreigners who would resort to it. The struggle of the Greeks for their freedom was associated from the beginning with universal values, which throughout time defined the identity of Hellenism.

But let us not forget that it was an inconclusive fight to the end, long, hard and covered in blood. Greek populations in the Greek area, the coasts of Asia Minor, Cyprus and elsewhere suffered massacres in retaliation for the Revolution. And here, in the Holy Land, Greeks, Christians and the Holy Sepulchre Brotherhood paid their own price of persecution.

We must also not overlook that the revolutionary struggle has not only bright pages but also painful, dark chapters. The discord sowed its pernicious seed also during the Revolution, which also experienced civil conflicts, while its survival hung by a thread. Let us also look at these mistakes face to face, soberly drawing their lessons.

The long struggle of Hellenism succeeded. The vision of freedom was fulfilled and in 1830 Greece officially took its place among the sovereign states. After nine years of war, the country was devastated, with widows, orphans, the homeless and the disabled in need of immediate care. Within suffocating borders, with ¾ of the Greeks left outside them. The new Greek state began its course in history, small, poor and bruised.

However, it had been born. In the two centuries that followed, a time of intense developments for all of humanity, Greece, with the same devotion of its citizens that characterized the fighters of the rebirth, managed to overcome, grow and develop, cope with many other challenges and emerge stronger.

Today, it enjoys international respect for its place in the world, with strong friendships and alliances. It progresses by preserving its traditions and its values. Its course is the best justification for the labour and blood of our ancestors, who in 1821, against all odds, attempted what was considered impossible.

Greece can look to the future with confidence equal to the pride with which it reflects on its past. With the same sober confidence, it can work for the promotion of the values of Hellenism in the world and the defence of its timeless priorities and interests. Among them, Your Beatitude remains the preservation of the Christian presence and heritage in the Holy Land and the rights of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

As we celebrate our national anniversary today, let us wish for peace to come to the Holy Land. The war conditions in our region and the respect for human suffering, especially the weak, do not allow solemn celebrations. But they urge us to reflect on the historical experiences of our own country. From this stems its steadfast support for peace and justice among nations.

Many happy returns. Long live Greece.”

From Secretariat-General

The Sunday of the 11th / 24th of March 2024 was celebrated by the Patriarchate as the first Sunday of Lent and as the Sunday of Orthodoxy, that is, as a memory of the restoration of the holy icons after more than a hundred years of unholy and impious persecution against them.

This feast was celebrated as a triumph of the icons due to their return to the Holy Churches by the Patriarch of Constantinople Methodios and the Empress Theodora and her son Michael. Empress Theodora asked God for forgiveness for her husband, Emperor Theophilos the fighter of the icons, through a litany. Since then, the Church unwaveringly and undisturbedly honours the holy icons as a certification and confirmation of the mystery of the incarnation of our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ.

This true and redeeming event was celebrated in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre with Great Vespers on Saturday afternoon, which is called “parrhesia” and includes a reception and veneration at the Holy Deposition then at the Holy Sepulchre, and the Horrendous Golgotha, ringing of the church bells, incense offering around the shrines, Great Entry and blessing of bread. The service was presided over by H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos, with Hieromonks and deacons concelebrating, and faithful members of the Church of Jerusalem and a few pilgrims attending the prayer.

On Sunday morning the Divine Liturgy at the Catholicon of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was officiated by His Beatitude with con-celebrants their Eminences, Metropolitan Isychios of Kapitolias, the Archbishops, Theophanes of Gerash, Aristarchos of Constantina, Theodosios of Sebasteia, Dimitrios of Lydda, the Elder Kamarasis Archimandrite Nectarios and other Holy Sepulchre Hieromonks, the representative of the Church of Russia Archimandrite Vassianos, the representative of the Church of Romania Archimandrite Theophilos, Archdeacon Mark and Hierodeacons Eulogios and Dositheos. The chanting was delivered by Hierodeacon Simeon and Mr Eustathios Tsoumanis, at the honorary presence of the Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem Mr Dimitrios Angelosopoulos and the Ambassador of Georgia Mr Zaza Kandelaki.

After the Divine Liturgy, there was a litany, thrice around the Holy Sepulchre and the shrines.

At the end of the litany, the Synod of Orthodoxy was read in front of the Holy Sepulchre for the blessed memory of Patriarch Methodius, Empress Theodora and her son Michael and all the Patriarchs and Priests and Emperors, patrons of the saints and venerable icons, venerated not religiously but relatively speaking, as defined by the Canons of the Church and for the condemnation of all those fighting against the Holy icons.

After the Dismissal of the Divine Liturgy, the full congregation returned to the Patriarchate Hall, where His Beatitude our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos addressed those present as follows:

“The uncircumscribed Word of the Father became circumscribed taking flesh from thee, O Theotokos and He has restored the sullied image to its ancient glory, filling it with the divine beauty. This our salvation we confess in deed and word, and we depict it in the holy icons” (Triodion, Matins, Kontakion), the hymnographer says.

Today, the first Sunday of Lent, the Holy Church of Christ celebrates the commemoration of the restoration of the holy icons, by the late Sovereigns of Constantinople Michael and his mother Theodora, during the Patriarchal Office of the Saint and Confessor Methodius.

A hundred years and more, the persecution against the use and veneration of icons by the wicked emperors Leo of Isauros and Theophilos, husband of the pious empress Theodora, devastated the Church of Christ.

The veneration of the Holy icons of Christ, the Theotokos, the Angels and the Saints is a doctrine of the Orthodox faith and theology, formulated by the Seventh Ecumenical Council in Nicaea of Bithynia in 787. This doctrine derives from the fundamental doctrine of the incarnation of the second person of the Holy Trinity. The icon of our Saviour Jesus Christ is an irrefutable testimony of the true incarnation of the Word of God.

St. John of Damascus, the pre-eminent theologian of the image of Christ, also refers to Basil the Great and says: “From the beginning, God created man in His image. Whom, then, do we worship each other, if not as created in the image of God? As Basil the Great said, “the honour of the icon is attributed to the prototype”. The original is what is depicted, from which the derivative is made. And again, the Holy Father John of Damascus questions himself: “Of the invisible and incorporeal and indescribable and formless God, who can create an image? It is an extreme insanity and impiety to give shape to the divine… Then God, by His infinite mercy, truly became a man for our salvation… but also in the essence of a man, He lived on earth “and he was acquainted with men” (Baruch 3.38), he worked miracles, he suffered, he was crucified, he rose, he was ascended in the heavens… and he was seen by men, he was written, (i.e. depicted) for our remembrance and teaching”.

This event of the restoration of the icons, which we solemnly celebrated today in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, was recognized as a triumph of Orthodoxy over false doctrines. Therefore, let us also hear the hymnographer singing and saying: “Celebrate with a feast the Christ-named people of the Lord, seeing the Church shining again the beauty of the divine form, as God was clothed in it, as a man to save us”.

We pray that the beauty of the divine form shines in the hearts and minds of those who govern the earth. Amen, many and peaceful returns”.

From Secretariat-General

On Friday evening of the first week of Lent, 9/22/ March 2024, at the Catholicon of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre the service of the Small Compline was held with the Canon of the Akathist and the first Stasis of the Salutations to the Mother of God. This is a theological and poetic composition praising the Most Blessed Theotokos and the mystery of the incarnation of our Saviour Christ which was accomplished through her.

This contrite service was presided over by H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos, who recited the first Stasis. The Holy Sepulchre Hieromonks participated in the service, with first in rank the Elder Kamarasis Archimandrite Nectarios. The chanting was delivered by Hierodeacon Simeon and Mr Eustathios on the right and Fr Ioannis Antoniou on the left, as the service was attended by the Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem Mr Dimitrios Angelosopoulos and members of the Church of Jerusalem.

At the end of the service His Beatitude delivered the following Sermon:

“An Angel and the chiefest among them was sent from Heaven to cry: Rejoice! To the Mother of God. And beholding Thee, O Lord, taking bodily form, he stood in awe, and with his bodiless voice he cried aloud to her such things as these: Rejoice Height Hard to climb for human thought. Rejoice, Depth hard to explore, even for the eyes of Angels” the hymnographer exclaims.

Beloved Brethren in Christ,

Reverend Christians,

Indeed, it is hard for human thought to understand the Most Blessed Theotokos, as she is joined with the mystery of the Divine Providence, that is, the incarnation of our Saviour Jesus Christ through her pure blood.

Saint John of Damascus describes this hard-to-climb and incomprehensible mystery in his homily to the Theotokos, where he writes: “Rejoice, O Lady Theotokos from whom the self-born is born for our sake and the self-generated sprouts and the perfect grows. Rejoice, O Lady Theotokos, from whom for our sake the incorporeal receives body, He who is without beginning receives a beginning and the Immortal God is contained within you.

The Holy Bible, both the Old and the New Testament, constitutes Sacred History, that is, the revelation, the manifestation of the divine wisdom and will of God. The eternal wisdom and will of God is none other than the “eternal mystery” (Cf. Rom. 16, 25), that which was revealed in Christ and through the Gospel of Christ, as Saint Paul teaches.

Participant and accomplice of the “revealing of the mystery of the ages of eternity, manifested and now… and known to all nations”, (Rom. 16, 25-26), also happens to be the Theotokos and Mother of God, the eternal Mary.

This is why our holy Church of Christ, in hymns honours and magnifies but also beseeches the Mother of God at all times and at every hour, especially during the fasting stage of the holy Lent: “Hail, the only Mother of God, the venerated to the ages and glorified to the ages and to the endless ages… and to all generations of generations under angels and men alike in fear thou art magnified”, Saint John of Damascus says.

The Virgin Theotokos Mary holds a prominent position among the personalities of Sacred History, of the salvific so-called Evangelical preaching, especially of women, because she is the one who corrected the error of our mother Eve, as Saint John of Damascus once again praises: “Rejoice alone among blessed women, thou who hast corrected the error of Eve”.

To this very thing, my beloved brothers and sisters, our holy Church calls us, to the correction of our mistakes through the path of fasting and repentance. “Come, O ye people and today let us accept the grace of the Fast as a gift from God and as a time of repentance in which we may find mercy with the Saviour” (Triodion, Monday of the 1st Week, Matins, Canticle 1, Canon 2, Troparion 1). “The Fast has come, mother of chastity, accuser of sins, advocate of repentance, life of the angles and salvation of men” (Triodion, Monday of the 1st Week, Matins, Aposticha 1), Saint Theodore of the Studion exclaims.

It is worth noting that “this gift of fasting of forty days” was not invented by the holy and God-bearing Fathers of the Church, but He Himself, our Lord Jesus Christ, showed us, “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterwards and hungered”(Matthew 4:1-2), as the Evangelist Matthew testifies.

We also walk this path of holy self-control, by the power of the Holy Spirit and the sympathy of the most blessed Theotokos, so that we may be gloriously worthy and pure in heart to arrive at the Holy Three-Day Resurrection of our Saviour Christ, which shines incorruption to the world. Amen. Blessed and happy Lent”.

From Secretariat-General

From Ash Monday, March 5th/18th, until Wednesday, March 7th/20th 2024, His Beatitude our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos, wearing the hazran, went to the monastic Church of Saints Constantine and Helen and presided over in the service of the Great Compline.

On Wednesday morning of the first week of Lent, He presided over the first Liturgy of the Pre-sanctified Gifts, with the Holy Sepulchre Fathers, High Priests, Hieromonks, Hierodeacons and nuns and the faithful participating in prayer and reverence.

From Secretariat-General

On the evening of Cheese fare Sunday, 4th/17th March 2024, in the context of the Service of the Small Compline in the monastic Church of Saints Constantine and Helen, His Beatitude our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos read the prayer of absolution as a very important preparation for the entrance into Holy and Great Lent.

After the reading of the Forgiveness prayer, Bishops and Priests, monks and nuns asked His Beatitude for forgiveness and His blessing and forgave each other and went up to their cells for the beginning of the Great Lent.

From Secretariat-General