On Thursday, May 12/25, 2023, the Patriarchate celebrated the feast of the Ascension of our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ into heaven, deifying the body of our human nature He had assumed and sat at the right hand of God and Father and from whom He sent us the Comforter Holy Spirit.

This Despotic feast was celebrated in the place of the Ascension on the Mount of Olives in accordance with the narratives of the Evangelists (Matt. ch. 28,16 Mark. 16,19, Luke. 24,50 and Acts ch. 1) with Vespers in the afternoon, led by His Eminence Archbishop Theophanes of Gerassa,  along with the Hagiotaphite  Hieromonks Fr Dionysios, Fr Kallistos, Fr Claudius, Fr. Amphilochios and the Priests of Saint James Cathedral. Local faithful Christians attended the service.

After Vespers, a litany followed to the Monastery of the Men of Galilee, which was received, by H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos.

On the day of the feast, a Divine Liturgy was held at this place, presided over by the Most Reverend Archbishop Damascene of Joppa, with the co-celebration of Archimandrite Mattheos and Hierodeacon Dositheos, representative Priests of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and of the Patriarchates of Moscow, Romania, and Serbia, with the prayerful participation of many pilgrims and members of the Greek Consulate General.

During the Divine Liturgy, H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos and the members of the Holy Synod visited the place for veneration.

Afterwards, His Beatitude visited the Sheikh at the mosque adjacent to the holy shrine, according to custom, aiming at the peaceful coexistence, then He visited the Holy Monastery of the Ascension opposite the pilgrimage, where He was received by the caretaker Monk Achillios, who has devoted himself in beautifying, reconstructing and renovating the shrine.

Afterwards, His Beatitude visited the nearby Holy Women’s Monastery of the Ascension of the Russian Church and blessed the believers there, under Metropolitan Mark, Archbishop Job and the Archimandrite Head of the Monastery Fr Romanos.

Finally, His Beatitude visited the Holy Monastery of the Men of Galilee (Galilei Viri). He was received by the Caretaker of the Monastery nun Danielia, who maintained and renovated the shrine.

From Secretariat-General

On Wednesday, May 11/24, 2023, the Patriarchate celebrated the feast of the Apodosis of Pascha, that is, the memory of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, after the hymns of the Easter day, apart from the Biblical Readings.

For this feast, a solemn Divine Liturgy was held in the monastic Church of Saints Constantine and Helen, presided over by our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos with the participation in prayer of the Hagiotaphite Fathers and Archdeacon Mark.

Right away, His Beatitude and the Patriarchal Entourage went to venerate the Holy Sepulchre and the Holy Golgotha and then returned to the Brotherhood.

At the time of this descent, a Divine Liturgy was already being celebrated at the Catholicon of the Church of the Resurrection, presided over by His Eminence Archbishop Philoumenos of Pella, with the co-celebration of the Archimandrites Claudius, Stefanos, Makarios and Amfilochios, under the chanting of Hierodeacon Simeon and the students of the Patriarchal School of Zion with the participation in prayer of faithful from Jerusalem and pilgrims.

After Dismissal, the Episcopal Entourage returned to the Patriarchate and paid their respects to His Beatitude.

From Secretariat-General

On the Sunday of the Blind Man, 8^th/ 21^st May 2023, according to the book of Pentecostarion, His Beatitude our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Holy Church of Saint George in the Rum-Orthodox Arabic-speaking community of Reine, a town near Nazareth.

Before the Liturgy, His Beatitude was warmly welcomed by the Boy Scouts of the Community.

Co-celebrants to His Beatitude were their Eminences, the Metropolitan Kyriakos of Nazareth, the Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina, the Elder Kamarasis Archimandrite Nectarios, the ministering Dean Priest of the Church Fr Simeon, and other Priests from the neighbouring communities, Archdeacon Mark and Hierodeacon Eulogios, under the chanting of the local Byzantine choir.

Before the Holy Communion, His Beatitude delivered the following sermon:

“And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man who was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him” (John 9,1-3).

Beloved Brethren in Christ,

Reverend Christians

Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Master and Creator of all, has gathered all of us through the Holy Spirit in this in this holy beautiful Church of yours, to celebrate the miracle Jesus worked on the man who was born blind, by applying clay to his eyes.

This miracle on the man who was born blind is distinguished among all other miracles of Jesus, because, “Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind” (John 9,32). It is noteworthy that Jesus cured the blind man out of “self-imposed goodness”, as Saint Gregory Palamas says: “In Jerusalem, when [Jesus] say a man who was born blind, without being asked, but moved by self-imposed goodness, He spat on the earth and made clay and placed it on the blind man’s eyes, saying to him; go and wash in Siloam’s pool.”

Christ cured the blind man “by self-imposed goodness”, because this way he revealed that He is the greatest and most glorious of all, as Saint Cyril of Alexandria says. In other words, through this action, Christ proved that He has the power and the authority that none of the Saints had ever had. To this cause, Jesus refers to this miracle as proof of “reversing blindness”, which no one else had ever managed to achieve before or ever since.

As for the cured blind man, he boldly replied to the provoking accusations of the unbeliever Pharisees against Jesus Christ who cured him, as well as to the threatening ironic comments against himself: “If this man were not of God, he could do nothing” (John 9,33).

These words of the blind man are a confession of faith, that the One who cured him is sent by God. His confession of faith stems from his faith according to the psalmist: “I believed, therefore, I have spoken” (Ps. 116,1), and as per Saint Paul: “We also believe, and therefore speak” (2 Cor. 4,13). This means, that we who have the same living faith as David the psalmist, believe in the true God, that is why we confess and preach our faith.

The power of the confession of the blind man’s faith is noted in his reply to Jesus: “Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him” (John 9,36-38).

Interpreting these words of the Gospel, Zigavinos says: “[the blind man] believed at once; for the words touched his soul immediately, finding it benign and shone upon it knowledge and faith.” And Saint Basil the Great says: “Like this, worship comes after faith, while faith is confirmed through power…and we get to know God through power; so we believe in the One we know and worship the One we believe in.”

Indeed, the action of the power of Christ, the Son of God, is the one that significantly contributed to the cured blind man’s faith, as this is shown by his reply to the Pharisees: “Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see” (John 9,25).

It is noteworthy that the cured blind man does not offer explanations about the method of treatment, nor does he resort to theories to clarify the miracle, that is, the experience of the indescribable benefit he received from the light-giver Christ. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights” (James 1,17), the Apostle James preaches.

Christ, my dear brethren, granted the blind man not only the light to his eyes, but at the same time, He gave him “His wondrous light” (1 Peter 2,9). That is why the cured blind man said to Jesus: “Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him” (John 9,38). In other words, the blind man was called by Christ unto His wondrous light. “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8,12), the Lord says.

Precisely this “light of life” shone upon the world during the luminous resurrection from the dead of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ, as Saint John Damascene writes in his hymn: “Let us arise in the deep dawn and instead of myrrh, offer praise to the Master, and we shall see Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, Who causeth life to dawn for all” (Katavasiae of Pascha, Ode 5).

Christ is the Sun of righteousness, which causes life to dawn upon every man on earth. The unwaning light of the Resurrection breaks the darkness of night and the hope and joy of life in Christ comes after the despair of death. “The rising sun” from the tomb, namely our Lord Jesus Christ, grants eternal and true life to all.

“Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight” (John 9,11) said the blind man. This order of Jesus, my dear brethren, applies to all of us. And this is because Siloam’s pool is no other than the Church of Christ, where the gifts of the Holy Spirit are freely offered through the holy sacraments, especially through the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. Our Holy Church is the hospital and medical centre for our various mental and physical ailments.

Let us, therefore, entreat the healer of the man who was born blind and say along with the hymnographer: “O Christ God, Thou spiritual Sun of Righteousness, Who with Thine immaculate touch didst enlighten both the body and soul of him who from his mother’s womb was deprived of sight, illuminate the eyes of our souls also, and show us to be sons of the day, that we might cry to Thee with faith: Great and ineffable is Thy compassion toward us, O Friend of man; glory be to Thee” (Vespers, Glory of the Aposticha). Christ is risen! Many happy returns!”

At the reception after the Divine Liturgy His Beatitude also said the following:

“And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man who was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him” (John 9,1-3).

Honourable President and members of the Ecclesiastical Council,

Reverend Holy Fathers and Brothers,

Reverend Father Simeon,

Dear Christians

Our Patriarchal presence among you during today’s feast of the Sunday of the Blind man fills our hearts with joy and cheerfulness, according to the order of Saint Paul: “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20,28).

Indeed, the Holy Spirit is the One Who has established bishops to pastor the Church of Christ. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of our God and Saviour Christ is the One Who puts together and constitutes the whole institution of the Church, which is founded upon Christ’s blood on the Cross. “Which He hath purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20,28), Saint Paul preaches. And according to the true testimony of Saint John the Theologian, whom we celebrate also today; “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep” (John 10,11).

The Church of Christ, namely the Rum Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem boasts in Jesus Christ for the ‘little flock’ (cf. Luke 12,32) of your town Reine, which is distinguished for the unity and confession of its Christian faith, according to the example of the cured blind man, who said in today’s Gospel narrative: “If this man were not of God, he could do nothing” (John 9,33).

This confession of the formerly blind man, that his healer, the man named Jesus, “was of God”, namely, He was sent by God, gives further testimony to Jesus’ reply to His disciples; “Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him” (John 9,3).

This appearance of God’s works and His Church did we also see with our own eyes in your blessed community. That is why we rendered glory and thanksgiving to the resurrected from the dead, our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ.

And we say along with Saint Chrysostom: “Christ is with me, of whom shall I be afraid? Even if the waves are striking against me, or the open seas, or the lord’s wrath; for me all these are less powerless than a spider’s web”. Christ is risen! Many happy returns, fruitful in Christ!”

After the reception, the Community hosted a meal for His Beatitude and those with Him.

From Secretariat-General

On Saturday, May 7/20, 2023, the Feast of the Sign of the Cross Appearing in Heaven was celebrated by the Patriarchate.

On this feast, the Church, especially that of Jerusalem, remembers that in the year 351, on the days of the Priesthood of the Archbishop of Jerusalem Cyril and on the days of Holy Pentecost, around the third hour of the day, a cross of bright stars appeared, extending from the Horrendous Golgotha until the Mount of Olives, becoming visible to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

Archbishop Cyril himself is the source of this fact in his letter to Constantius the king, son of Constantine the Great.

In honour of this event, a Divine Liturgy was performed at the Horrendous Golgotha, presided over by His Eminence, Archbishop Theophanes of Gerassa, concelebrated by the Priests of the Church of the Resurrection and Archimandrites Nektarios, Meletius and Claudius, Fr Hader, Archdeacon Mark and Hierodeacon Dositheos. The chanting was delivered by Hierodeacon Simeon and the Patriarchal School of Zion students, as the service was attended by a congregation of local faithful and pilgrims.

The Divine Liturgy was followed by a litany starting from the Holy Deposition shrine and marched three times around the Holy Sepulchre, with the participation of the High Priests of the Brotherhood and the whole congregation.

After this, the Holy Gospel of the Resurrection was read in front of the Edicule of the Holy Sepulchre, and the letter of Archbishop Cyril, in Greek and Arabic, describing this event, which is quoted here as follows:

“Epistle of Saint Cyril Archbishop of Jerusalem to Constantius

 The Most Pious King

On the appearance of the sign of the Cross covered in light, visible in Jerusalem

To the Most Beloved by God and Most Noble Constantius Augustus

Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem,

Rejoice in the Lord

In the days of the Most Beloved by God Constantine of blessed memory, your Father, the redeeming wood of the Cross was found in Jerusalem, as divine grace allowed the hidden holy places to be discovered by someone who truly seeks reverence. But in your days, Most Pious King, who surpasses ancestral piety with greater reverence for God, miracles do not come from the earth, but from heaven, and the trophy with which our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ won death, that is, the Holy Cross, became visible in Jerusalem, shining with radiating beams of light.

Because in these holy days of the Holy Pentecost, in the first nine days of May, at about the third hour of the day, an enormous Cross, formed of light, appeared in the heaven above Holy Golgotha and extended to the holy Mount of Olives; it was not seen by one or two only, but was made manifest with perfect clarity to the whole multitude of the city; not, as one might suppose, rushing swiftly past as it were a figment of the imagination, but it was seen openly above the earth for many hours in plain sight, overcoming the beams of the sun with its dazzling rays. Because the Cross would really be overshadowed by the sun if it were not for its brightness to be stronger for those who saw.

As a result, at the same time, the crowds of the city rushed to the holy Church in multitudes, overwhelmed by divine fear but also with joy; young and old, men and women of all ages and even the secluded maidens; locals and foreigners, both Christians and the visiting pagans in the city. And unanimously all, as if it were one mouth, praised Je-sus Christ our Lord, the Only Begotten Son of God, the miracle worker, realising in practice and with personal experience that the Christian Doctrine is of the highest reverence, not because it is confirmed with words of wisdom, but in proof of Spirit and power; and it is not only confessed by men but it is also testified by God from the heavens.

In the year of our salvation three hundred and fifty-one.”

The service concluded with the return of the Episcopal Entourage at the Patriarchate Hall, where they paid their respects to His Beatitude our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos.

From Secretariat-General

At 10:00 am on Monday, 2/15 May 2023, the funeral service of the blessed Metropolitan Cornelius of Petra was held at the monastic Church of Saints Constantine and Helen, presided over by His Beatitude our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos, with the participation in prayer of the Hagiotaphite Hierarchs, His Eminence Metropolitan Epiphanios of Ledra from the Church of Cyprus, Hieromonks and local Priests. His memory was also honoured by the presence of the Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem Mr Evangelos Vlioras, the representative of the Moscow Patriarchate Archimandrite Dometianos and members of the faithful of Jerusalem and other cities.

The obituary was delivered by Geronda Secretary-General, His Eminence Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina as follows:

“Your Beatitude Father and Master,

Reverend Chorea of the Hierarchs,

Consul General of Greece,

Dear Fathers,

Dear Christians,

The departure to the Lord of our beloved and respected brother, His Eminence Metropolitan Cornelius of Petra, drew us from our earthly cares, brought us to contemplation, and invited us to his tabernacle, so that we may pray for the repose of his soul in the ascending course of his soul to heaven and the Throne of the Most High. Carrying out this human and ecclesiastical duty, our hearts are burdened by the sorrow of separation and we stand in awe before the mystery of death, which has found us. But after the hymn of the Church, we exclaim, “What is this mysterious thing about us, how did we surrender to corruption, how did we associate with death?” In order to overcome this embarrassment, the fact that our Incarnate Lord Jesus Christ, bearing our human nature and sharing it, shed tears at the tomb of his four-day dead friend Lazarus and raised him from the dead comes as a reinforcing tale.

Likewise, “born in agony” in the garden of Gethsemane, reflecting on the cup of death of Him, however, fulfilling the Father’s will, He willingly came to death and even to the Cross for our sake. Through His death, He trampled over death, defeated death, rose from the dead, and “gave us eternal life, that is, after our earthly tabernacle is removed, life after the saints and righteous in the land of the living. Sorrowing, nevertheless, “not like the rest who have no hope”, as the apostle of the nations says, but turning to our sorrow the hope in the Risen Lord, we send forward our brother, Metropolitan Cornelius of Petra, adding to our prayers, in consequence, the things of his life from his young age until today.                     

We remember that he was born in the commune of Magarikarion of Messara, district of Monofatsi, Heraklion, Crete, in the year 1936.

As soon as he graduated from the Elementary Education of his birthplace, he was on his way to the Holy Land. When he arrived in Jerusalem, he studied in the Priestly School of Saint Demetrius, like most of the Hagiotaphite Fathers. After graduating, he joined the Brotherhood as a monk and was ordained a Deacon, and served in various ministries. He was then sent to Halki’s Higher Theological School of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. After graduating from it, he returned to Jerusalem, was ordained a Priest, and was sent for further education to the Institute of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Geneva. After his return, he was appointed a member of the Holy and Sacred Synod, Archivist and Editor-in-Chief of the magazine “New Zion” and Head of the Patriarchal School. In 1976 he was elected and ordained Archbishop of Sebasteia and appointed Patriarchal Representative in Bethlehem. In 1991 he was promoted to the Metropolitan of Petra and was appointed President of the Ecclesiastical Court of First Instance serving in this position after consistently and accurately applying the rules of the Church and the written laws of the state. He was the Patriarchal Commissioner and Custodian of the Throne of Jerusalem in 2001 and 2005 contributing very much from this high position to the maintenance of the necessary ecclesiastical balance, stability, and peace in critical periods of the life of the Patriarchate and the Brotherhood.

In all the ministries assigned to him, he served with zeal and dedication, having as his guiding principle the interest of our Holy Common and the protection of the rights of the Patriarchate and our nation in the Holy Land.

We, therefore, beseech our merciful and gracious God, that he may show the good things of his works, forgive him whether he sinned voluntarily or involuntarily, and grant him the kingdom of God and eternal life in the enjoyment and rejoicing of the light of His face. So be it. Everlasting his remembrance.”

Escorted by His Eminence the Archbishop Theophanes of Gerassa, the departed to the Lord, dear and respected Hagiotaphite brother of ours, the blessed Metropolitan Cornelius of Petra, was buried at the cemetery of the Patriarchate on the hill of Zion.

Everlasting his remembrance!

From Secretariat-General

Sunday, May 1/14, 2023, was celebrated by the Patriarchate as the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman at the Samaria Well of Jacob in Nablus.

On this Sunday, the Church celebrates the fact that the Evangelist John (John 4, 5-29) reports, that a woman from the county of Sychar in Samaria came to Jacob’s Well to draw water and there she had a conversation with the Lord, in which the Lord revealed to her the things of her life and that “God is a Spirit and those who worship Him should worship Him in spirit” and that “He who speaks to her is the Messiah”.

The Samaritan woman named Foteini believed in Christ and martyred for Him with her entire family of daughters, sons, and brothers.

Next to the Well, on the excavated Byzantine Church, the Hegumen, Archimandrite, Ioustinos, erected a magnificent Church in honour of Saint Foteini.

In this Church, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated by His Beatitude our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos, along with their Eminences the Archbishops, Damascene of Yaffo, Aristarchos of Constantine and Metropolitan Joachim of Helenoupolis, the Elder Kamarasis Archimandrite Nectarios and Archimandrite Meletios, Archdeacon Mark and Hierodeacon Dositheos. The chanting was delivered by the Hegoumen of Rafidia Archimandrite Leontios on the right in Greek and members of the Community of Rafidia on the left in Arabic, with the participation of many local faithful and pilgrims.

His Beatitude spoke to them through His following address:

“Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water” (John 4,10 ).

Beloved brethren in Christ,

Reverend Christians and pilgrims

The grace of the Holy Spirit has gathered us all in this Eucharistic Paschal gathering to celebrate in joy and gladness the commemoration of the Samaritan Woman who spoke with Jesus by the Patriarch Jacob’s well, in this holy place.

The Lord’s disciples became eyewitnesses, as Peter says in the book of Acts: “And we are witnesses of all the things which Jesus of Nazareth did, Whom God anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him” (cf. Acts 10,38-39).

Indeed, Christ was not restricted in benefiting the people in a specific city, nor did He wait for the benefited ones by Him to come to Him, instead, He went to them, marching on foot all of Palestine, as in the occasion with the Samaritan Woman, to whom the Lord revealed Himself.

Let us hear what Saint Cyril of Alexandria says on this: “Christ does not reveal Himself solely to uneducated and ignorant souls (like the Samaritan Woman), but to the souls who “are shining and visible”, the ones who have prepared themselves to learn something and they have born faith in them, and “make haste to gain the perfect knowledge”, that is, they are in a hurry to learn the perfect mysteries”.

To Christ’s words “thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water”, the Samaritan Woman replies, “From whence then hast thou that living water?” (John 4,11). Interpreting these words, Saint Cyril of Alexandria says: “The Samaritan Woman with the words ‘living water’ means her own interpretation of water; the one that gushes forth from the spring, the natural water”.

The Samaritan Woman’s question is the same as that of many people with feeble faith. And this is because they don’t pay heed to the Lord’s words, which are words of eternal life (cf. John 6,68), as Christ Himself teaches by saying: “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6,63).

Christ, my dear brethren, is the unending source of life and of divine grace. This is what He told the Samaritan Woman, after all: “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4,14). Christ is the “well-spring of the principle of life”, as the hymnographer says, “Come and see the Knower of things hidden, God Who is come in the flesh to save man” (Matins, Glory of praises), hearkening to the Samaritan Woman’s voice, who received the wondrous changes in herself of our Lord Jesus’ grace.

“Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom” (Psalm 51, 6), the prophet David chants. These very hidden and inward parts of His truth did Christ reveal to the Samaritan Woman by saying, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4,24).

Interpreting these words, Saint Cyril of Alexandria says: “Righteously God accepts the spiritual pilgrim, who does not bear the image of reverence in the Jewish manner of pretension, but shines in an evangelical manner through the accomplishments of virtue and applies the true worship through the correctness of the divine doctrines”.

In other words, the true pilgrim, namely the Christian, is the one who lives according to the teaching of the Gospel of Christ. It is not enough to worship God only in our minds, theoretically, but we should do so actively, through our participation in the mystical life of the Church, which is the body of Christ, as Saint Paul advises: “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular” (1 Cor. 12,27). “He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him” (John 6,56), the Lord says. For this, the purity of our life and the correctness of the doctrines, namely of our precise Orthodox faith, constitute the true worship of God. “Spiritual worship is”, according to Zigavinos, “the humility; for the Bible says, the sacrifice of God is a broken spirit”.

“A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Psalm 51, 17), the psalmist proclaims. Indeed, the Son and Word of God did not avoid to show to the sinner Samaritan Woman, what is the wealth of the glory of “the mystery which hath been hidden from ages and from generations” (Col. 1, 26), the woman that the Holy Church of Christ honours today in her hometown on the one hand; and projects her as an example of humility and of a broken heart, on the other.

As for us, let us say along with the hymnographer: “Accepting Thine divine law O Saviour, man puts out the burning coals of fallacies. Therefore, unto the ages, he will not thirst, nor will he hunger of Thee Master, heavenly King; for this we glorify Thine might Christ our God, asking that Thou may send down richly to Thine servants the remission of sins”. Amen. Christ is risen!”

After the Divine Liturgy, there was a Procession around the Church, while at noon the Hegumen hosted a meal.

From Secretariat-General

On Saturday, April 23/May 6, 2023, the memory of the holy great martyr George the Trophy Bearer was celebrated by the Patriarchate.

On this feast, the Church recalls in its memory that Saint George was by origin Cappadocian by father and Palestinian by mother. He served as a tribune, i.e. a centurion, in the Roman army, hiding his Christian identity at first, revealing it later, confessing Christ, being tortured and testifying for Him in AD 303 during the reign of Diocletian.

His holy relics were taken by his servant to Lydda, his mother’s homeland, and were then kept in the Holy Church erected in his name by Saint Helen.

His commemoration was celebrated:

• In the Old City at the Monastery dedicated to him which is also called ‘the hospital’, with Vespers on Friday afternoon and the Divine Liturgy on Saturday morning, which were officiated by His Eminence Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina, with the co-celebration of Hieromonk Sila, Priest Athanasios and Hierodacon Simeon. The chanting was delivered by Mr Demetrios Manousis with the help of the Patriarchal School of Zion students, as the services were attended by a large congregation of monks, nuns, pilgrims and the representatives of the Greek Consulate in Jerusalem, Mrs Christina Zacharioudaki and Mrs Constantina Gyftou.

His Eminence delivered the following sermon to this congregation

“Reverend Abbess, nun Pansemni,

Your Excellency, Mrs Christina Zacharioudaki,

Dear priests,

My beloved brothers in Christ,

Living in the middle of the season of spring we enjoy the joy of the beauty of blooming nature. This is God’s gift to us humans, just like the rain of the last days, a sign of His love for us. Living in the midst of the Easter season, we share in the spiritual joy and rejoicing of Christ’s Resurrection. We are touched and excited by the joyous, paschal hymns of the Church. Despite this, the Church gives us today one more source of joy and happiness. It provides us with the memory of one of its great martyrs, Saint George the Trophy Bearer. the memory of Saint George becomes the reason for our assembly today, for the celebration of the divine liturgy, for sharing in the holy eucharist and for our sanctification and salvation. Within this rich spiritual liturgical bank, the narrative of the martyr’s life has its place for the additional nourishment and strengthening of our souls.

The memory of the Church, which is the synaxarion, maintains that Saint George lived during the time of the Roman emperor Diocletian. On his father’s side, he was from Asia Minor, Cappadocia. On his mother’s side, he was Palestinian. He served in the Roman army. When persecution was unleashed against the Christians, he did not accept to receive rewards, positions and offices, in order to deny Christ. Instead, he confessed and proclaimed his faith in Christ. He remained relentless in promises, undaunted in threats and rigid and inflexible in torture. His strong faith in Christ overcame sickness and the pains of nature. With the grace of Christ, he remained unharmed from all the tortures, with the result that many people saw and believed in Christ, including Diocletian’s wife Queen Alexandra. More still believed, when the Saint entered a temple of idols and with his prayer, he overthrew the statues of false gods. Then his executioners and the demon worshipers could not stand it and brought him to the emperor Diocletian and demanded his condemnation. The emperor ordered his beheading by a sword, as well as that of Queen Alexandra, who in the meantime surrendered her soul to God in prison.

Today, the Church presents Saint George to us as an example of strong faith in Christ, an example of patience and determination, an example of charity to the poor, because he distributed his property to them according to a covenant, which he gave to his servant, before his martyrdom. He entrusted him with the transfer of his relics to his mother’s hometown, Lydda. At the place of his burial, a magnificent church was later built by Saint Helen, the inauguration of which is celebrated on the other feast of the Saint on November 3.

The grace of the Holy Spirit, which raised up Saint George and all the martyrs, remains active in the Church throughout the centuries. It is this grace that also highlighted the new martyr George, Cypriot by origin, who was working in Acre and did not accept to change his faith when this was proposed to him by the Turkish pasha in 1752. His tomb at the door of the monastery and his relic, which is offered today for worship, are a blessing for the Orthodox community and for the whole city of Acre.”

The Episcopal Entourage and the congregation were offered a reception by the Abbess, nun Pansemni, who has restored the holy icons of the Church.

• At the holy monastery dedicated to him in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City, the Divine Liturgy on Saturday morning, was led by Archimandrite Amphilochios, with the attendance of faithful Christians who honoured the Saint. The full congregation was offered a reception by the renovator of the Church, reverend Abbess, nun Marianna.
• At the Holy Church dedicated to the Saint in Arcre-Ptolemais, with a Divine Liturgy that was officiated by His Eminence Archbishop Theodosios of Sebasteia, with the co-celebration of the Patriarchal representative Archimandrite Philotheos, at the attendance of a large congregation of the Orthodox faithful of this city.
• At the Holy Monastery of Saint George Al Khader of the Bethlehem area, led by the Patriarchal Representative in Bethlehem, His Eminence Metropolitan Benediktos of Diocesarea, with the co-celebration of Archimandrite Ignatios and local Priests, at the presence of the Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem Mr Evangelos Vlioras.
• At the Holy Monastery of Saint George in Lydda, where the Divine Liturgy was presided over by Archimandrite Marcellus.
• On Sunday, April 24th / May 7th, 2023 in the Holy Church of the Delegation of the Patriarchate of Romania in the Jewish quarter of the religious Jews of the New City of Jerusalem, presided over by His Eminence, Metropolitan Isychios of Kapitolias, with concelebrants, the Head of the Delegation Archimandrite Theophilos and his assistant Archimandrite Ioannis, who at noon hosted a meal in honour of the Episcopal Entourage. His Eminence delivered the solemn sermon to the congregation, speaking through the following address as follows:

“Reverend Archimandrite Theophilos, Representative of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel in the Holy City of Jerusalem,

Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ,

Reverend Christians

We are gathered today to celebrate in a Paschal and Eucharistic manner the great mystery of philanthropy our Risen God and Saviour Jesus Christ and the commemoration of the Holy Great Martyr George the Trophy Bearer.

The memory of the Saints of the Church, especially of its Great Martyrs constitutes the irrefutable testimony of Christ’s resurrection and our hope in Christ, as Saint Paul also proclaims: “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Cor. 15, 20-22). “Behold, the spring of grace has risen, the Resurrection of Christ has shone all over; and with this now, the feast day of George the Martyr and the light-bearing day; let us all celebrate in joy, shining in a godly manner,” the hymnographer says.

 The martyrdom of the blood of Christ’s friends, and that of the great martyr George the Trophy-bearer, constitutes a strong and irrefutable eternal testimony in the historical course of the human race, that the death of Christ, and consequently His Resurrection, corresponds to the existential death of man, on the other hand, it determines the fullness of the man living in Christ under the view of his being made in the image and likeness of God. (Gen. 1,26). This is what the renowned Father of the Church, Gregory the Theologian, says in this regard: “He impoverishes my flesh, so that I may be enriched by his Divinity. And the full is being emptied. He is emptied from His own glory on a small scale, so that I may partake of His fullness. What is the wealth of goodness? What is this mystery about me? I partook of the image and I didn’t save it. He partakes of my flesh, so that he may save the image and immortalize the flesh”.

The great George, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, and having his mind set on heavenly things, brought himself before his persecutor and idolater Roman Emperor Diocletian, and after boldness said, in accordance with the testimony of his servant Pasikratus: Be ashamed ye who maddeningly disobey the only Son of God, the Creator and Master of everything, while you deify the impure demons making idols of them without breath, without hearing and attribute honour to them. If you believe in my words, leave the darkness and draw nigh to the divine light, and leaving the fallacy, come to the truth, which is a blessed life and you will be granted unfailing glory. Your glory is even flimsy and vain and grass withered nearby. I do not tolerate being complacent when Deity is cursed… For me the first and most honourable name, Christian and servant of Christ, by whom also in the present life we go through honest and unhindered and after the release from here, in the future, eternally we reap the indestructible and blessed ending”.

This confession of George clearly reveals that the faithful witness and friend of Christ was a co-martyr of Christ, indeed an imitator of the passion of our Saviour Christ, Who gave His life for the life of the world. Moreover, the Christian is the living witness in this world of the true Light, the one who dispels darkness, as the Evangelist John preaches: “In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not” (John 1, 4-5).

To this we also have come today, representing His Holy Beatitude, our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III, conveying His Patriarchal prayers and blessing, that you, Reverend Theophilos, Holy Representative of His Beatitude the Patriarch of Romania, continue and increase the mission and ministry of the Representation of the brotherly Church of Romania in the Holy Land for the salvation of souls and glory of the Triune Name of our Holy God.

Christ is Risen!”

From Secretariat-General

Sunday, the 17th / 30th of April 2023, was celebrated by the Patriarchate as the Sunday of the Myrrh-bearing Women and Joseph of Arimathea in accordance with the Gospel narratives and the book of Pentecost on the 3rd Sunday of the Resurrection.

On this feast, the Church commemorates Joseph of Arimathea, the present day Ramle, who asked for and received frthe immaculate Body of the Lord from Pilatewrapped it in a shroud, and buried it in an empty Tomb that was close to the place of His Crucifixion. (John 19, 38-42). It also commemorates the Myrrh-bearing women, who “after the Sabbath bought perfumes, so that the Body of Jesus would be anointed, and coming to the monument they saw the stone being measured and a white angel sitting on the monument and saying “he is not here…, see the place where they placed him”, (Mark 16,6). These glad tidings were announced by the myrrh bearers to the apostles and by the apostles to the whole world.

This event was celebrated in Ramle, Ancient Arimathea, Joseph’s hometown, with the welcoming reception of H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos by the Scouts, Priests and Commissioners of the Community of Ramle and through the Divine Liturgy. Co-celebrants to His Beatitude were their Eminences, the Metropolitan Isychios of Kapitolias, the Archbishops Damascene of Joppa and Aristarchos of Constantina, the Elder Kamarasis Archimandrite Nectarios, Archimandrite Hieronymos, Arabic-speaking Priests, Archdeacon Markand Hierodeacon Dositheos. The chanting was delivered by the choir of the Ramle at the attendance of all the Orthodox Community of the City, in the presence of the representativie of the Greek Embassy in Tel-Aviv Mr Kleovoulos Tsourkas and the military attaché Squadron Leader Mr Georgios Petros.

His Beatitude delivered the following sermon to this congregation:

“O Thou Who coverest Thyself with light as with a garment, when Joseph with Nicodemus took Thee down from the Tree and beheld Thee dead, naked, and unburied, he struck up a compassionate dirge, and with mourning he said: Woe is me, O sweetest Jesus! When but a short while ago the sun beheld Thee hanging upon the Cross, it shrouded itself in darkness, and the earth quaked with fear, and the veil of the Temple was rent asunder. And behold, now I see Thee willingly submitting unto death for my sake. How shall I bury Thee, O my God? Or how shall I wrap Thee with winding sheets? With what hands shall I touch Thine undefiled Body? Or what dirges shall I sing at Thy departure, O Compassionate One? I magnify Thy Passion; I praise Thy Burial and Resurrection, and I cry out: O Lord glory to Thee” (Pentecostarion, Saturday of the Myrrh-bearing Women, Entreaty, Glory).

Beloved brethren in Christ,

Reverend Christians and pilgrims

Τhe immanent light of the resurrection of our Saviour Christ has gathered us all in this holy gathering of the mystical blessing in the biblical hometown of Christ’s hidden disciples, Nicodemus, who became a Dissenter, Joseph of Arimathea and the myrrh-bearing Women, who were the first ones to witness the resurrection, so that we may celebrate in Doxology the commemoration of these Saints who witnessed the Passion and the resurrection from the dead of our Lord Jesus Christ, as the hymnographer very clearly expresses by saying: “Let the twelve disciples rejoice with us, together with the myrrh-bearing women and Joseph, and the other men and women and disciples of Christ” (Matins, Ode 3, Canon of the myrrh-bearers, Troparion 9).

It is noteworthy that the Most Holy Mother of God is the first one who saw her Son risen from the dead according to Saint Gregory Palamas: “First among the people, as it was befitting and righteous, the Theotokos received the good news of the Lord’s resurrection by the Lord Himself, and she was the first one to see Him risen and rejoice in His divine voice”.

To Christ’s question to His disciples, “But whom say ye that I am?” “Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ” (Mark 8, 29). And to our question, Who, or rather, what is Christ? Saint John the Evangelist replies that Christ is “the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (John 1,9).

This very light, my dear brethren, is the Resurrection of Christ, according to His own testimony, “I am the resurrection, and the life” (John 11,25), “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8,12).

According to Saint Gregory Palamas, “Christ’s resurrection is the renewal of the human nature and the gaining of a new life and the return to eternal life of the condemned to death due to sin first Adam, who through death returned once more to the earth from which he was created”.

Our Holy Church specially honours Christ’s hidden disciples, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, the myrrh-bearing women as well as the Apostle Thomas, because they became “eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word” (Luke 1,2). Joseph is the one who came to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus (cf. Mark 15,43), and along with Nicodemus took Him down from the Cross and buried Him. While the myrrh-bearing Women “bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun” (Mark 16,1-2), and they announced to the disciples that they had seen the Lord.

As for Thomas, he touched the pierced by the spear side of Christ and confirmed that he had seen “the side whence issued the blood, the water, the baptism, and see the wound through which man, the great wound, was healed, and except I see that He is not a spirit, but flesh and bones” (Tuesday of the 2^nd week, Matins, Aposticha of Praises, Glory), as Saint John of Damascus says.

Indeed, man is the “great wound” which stemmed from his free will, “fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind” (Eph. 2,3), as Saint Paul says. And according to Saint John the Theologian, “the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever” (1 John 2,17). Joseph of Arimathea and Joseph and the myrrh-bearing Women “gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God” (2 Cor. 8, 5).

Christ is the new Pascha (the new Paschal lamb), the one who sacrificed His life for our salvation, the lamb of God Who redeems with His blood the sin of the world, according to the hymnographer.

This new Pascha, my dear brethren, is the God-man resurrected body of Christ, namely our Holy Church, which evangelizes the One who “willingly suffered, and was buried for three days and then rose from the tomb”, the resurrection of Christ, through the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, where we taste the “sacrificed lamb” the flesh and body of Christ. “Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life” (John 6,54), the Lord says.

To this cause all of us who confess our Saviour’s resurrection are called, the ones who pay heed to the words of Saint Gregory Palamas: “If you are Joseph of Arimathea, ask for the crucified body of Christ; if you are Nicodemus, the pious disciple of the night, bury Him bathed in spices. If you are Mary, or the other Mary, of Salome, or Ioanna, let the tears flow from your eyes at dawn…and if you are Thomas, absent from the Room where the disciples were gathered when Jesus appeared to them, when you see, do not lose faith; and if you don’t believe, believe in those who talk about this; and if you don’t believe in them either, become a believer when you see the marks of the nails”.

Let us entreat the eye-witnesses and ministers of the passion on the cross and the resurrection of the Son of God and Son of the Ever-Virgin Theotokos, – through Whom “Hades was cast down and death was slain. Having been put to death, we were raised up and were deemed worthy of life; We received Paradise, the ancient bliss” (Sunday of the myrrh-bearers, Matins, Second Sessional Hymns, Theotokion), that they may intercede with the true God to save our souls. Amen. Christ is Risen!”

A reception followed in the reception hall, where the energetic Hegoumen Archimandrite Niphon addressed His Beatitude, thanking Him for the moral and material support at the renovating work in the Holy Church and the Monastery and for the spiritual uplifting of the Community.

 Finally, a meal was offered at noon, where His Beatitude spoke again through His following address:

“For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain” (1 Cor. 15, 16-17), the apostle Paul preaches.

Your Excellencies representatives of the Greek Embassy in Tel-Aviv,

Holy Fathers and Brothers,

Reverend Hegoumen Archimandrite Niphon,

Dear President of the Ramle Community,

Most Holy Brethren

Today’s commemoration of the hidden disciples of Christ Joseph the Righteous from Arimathea, i.e. of your birthplace Ramle, as well as the holy myrrh-bearing Women is the undeniable testimony of their faith and love for the God-man Christ and His Resurrection from the dead. The Myrrh-Bearing Women “stood by the cross of Jesus” (John 19:25). The brothers Joseph and Nicodemus “took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices… Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews’ preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand” (John 19, 40-42), as the Evangelist John informs us.

This irrefutable testimony of the crucifixion, the three-day burial and the Resurrection has been denounced and preached throughout the centuries by the Holy Church of Jerusalem, especially by the living and uninterrupted historical presence of the Rum Orthodox Christians in the Holy Land.

This is due to the fact that the truth and the light of Christ overcame the fear of falsehood and darkness: “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). “But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God” (John 3:21).

In this judgment of the love of people in the darkness, the holy Church of Jerusalem stands up after its Christian pious flock. Needless to say, the signs of the “judgment” announced by the evangelist John are now visible and palpable in our contemporary era due to the legislative imposition of the New Order of Things.

The Greek Orthodox (Rum Orthodox) Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which is founded on the redemptive blood of Christ, is the only guarantee of the preservation of the saving inheritance, which was given to us by the Risen Christ, Who “hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7).

For this, my dear brothers, we are called upon to safeguard the precious treasure of the Evangelical Truth, whom God the Father has entrusted to His Son, and the Son of the Most Blessed Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, to those who love Him, through the dwelling of the Holy Spirit in them: “That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us”, (2 Tim. 1,14), Saint Paul commanded his disciple Timothy, but also all of us.

May the light of the glorious and brilliant Resurrection of our God and Saviour Christ enlighten your heart and mind. “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life” (1 John. 5, 20), Saint John the Evangelist preaches. Amen. Christ is Risen”.

This feast was also celebrated in the chapel of the Myrrh-bearing Women, at the Cathedral of Saint James the Brother of God, with Vespers in the evening and the Divine Liturgy in the morning, presided over by the Most Reverend Archbishop Aristovoulos of Madaba, with the co-celebration of the Archimandrite Nicodemus, the Elder Priests of the Cathedral, Fr Farah and Fr Hader. The chanting was delivered by Hierodeacon Simeon and the students on the right and the choir of the Cathedral under Mr Rimon Kamar on the left. The service was attended by the parishioners of the Cathedral and the Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem of Mr Evangelos Vlioras.

After the Divine Liturgy, a reception took place in the “Ojut” hall, organized by the association of “Myrrh-bearing Women” of Saint James.

From Secretariat-General

Sunday, April 10/23, 2023, was celebrated by the Patriarchate as Antipascha or Thomas Sunday, that is, as a commemoration of the fact that the Lord on the eighth day after His Resurrection appeared to the disciples again, as they were gathered in the Upper room with the doors closed when Thomas was also with them and He said to Thomas: “bring your finger here and put it in my side and do not be an unbeliever but a believer”, “because you have seen and believed in me, blessed are those who have not seen and believe”, (John 20, 27-29).

This event was celebrated during Vespers in the evening in the Catholicon of the Church of the Resurrection and the Divine Liturgy in the morning in the Holy and Life-giving Sepulchre, presided over by His Eminence Metropolitan Isychios of Kapitolias, concelebrated by their Eminences, the Metropolitan Ioannikios of Montenegro and Archbishop Makarios of Qatar, Hagiotaphite Hieromonks and deacons. The chanting was delivered by His Eminence Archbishop of Aristovoulos of Madaba and Hierodeacon Simeon. The service was attended by the Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem Mr Evangelos Vlioras and the Consul Mrs Christina Zacharioudaki and their families, as well as the pilgrims visiting for Easter.

After the end of the Divine Liturgy of the Resurrection, the Episcopal Entourage returned to the Patriarchate, where His Eminence received the pilgrims.

The event of the touching of Thomas was celebrated today also in the city of Cana of Galilee in accordance with the Status Quo of the Community of this town, the one after the event of the blessing of the marriage by the Lord, and the transformation of the water into wine. The Evangelist John mentions the first of these signs of the Lord (John 2, 1-11) in his Gospel, the passages of which are read on the Sundays after Holy Easter and until Pentecost.

His Beatitude our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos, being received by the Scouts, officiated this service with the co-celebration of their Eminences, the Metropolitan Kyriakos of Nazareth and the Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina, the Hegoumen of Cana Archimandrite Benedictos, the Elder Kamarasis Archimandrite Nektarios and the Russian Priests of Galilee, Archdeacon  Mark, Hierodeacon Eulogios and others.

To the assembled people, His Beatitude proclaimed the divine word as follows:

“Come let us drink a new drink, not one marvellously brought forth from a barren rock, but the Source of incorruption, which springeth forth from the grave of Christ, in Whom we are established”, exclaims Saint John of Damascus melodiously.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, suffering by the Cross and abolishing death and rising from the dead, brought us all to this holy biblical place of Cana of Galilee, so that on Easter we may celebrate the manifestation of His [Christ’s] glory through signs, but also that of the inauguration of Christ’s Resurrection, as well as the touching of the Holy Apostle Thomas.

The Resurrection of Christ is the cornerstone of our Christian faith according to the testimony of the apostle Paul: “If Christ is not raised, therefore our preaching is empty because our faith is also empty” (I Cor. 15,14). Moreover, the Resurrection of Christ is the truth, the answer to Pilate’s question: “What is truth?” (John 18:38). This confession was proclaimed by the Lord Himself after parsimony, saying: “I am the way and the truth (John 14:6)… “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25).

This confession was confirmed by Christ through His many appearances before His holy disciples after His Resurrection, as the Evangelist Luke testifies in His Acts, saying: “And [Jesus] appeared alive after His suffering [to the Apostles] in many witnesses for forty days, appealing to them and speaking about the kingdom of God” (Acts 1,3).

We also have the presence of Christ with us, my beloved brothers, through His divine-human body, that is, the Church, of which body He is the head, (Cf. Col. 1,18) according to Saint Paul. This does not mean that Christ Himself calls us to approach and touch His body as another Thomas, through our participation in the mystery of the “mystical blessing”, that is, of the Divine Eucharist, as Saint Cyril of Alexandria clearly teaches saying: “He comes” [=he visits] “and Christ appears to us all, invisibly and visibly; invisibly as God, and again visibly in the body. He [Christ] also allows his holy flesh to be touched. We draw nigh by the grace of God, in the making of the mystical blessing, receiving Christ in our hands, so that we too may [=properly] believe that He Himself truly raised the Temple”, [that is, His Body].

In other words, the communion of the Body and Blood of Christ constitutes a confession of the Resurrection of Christ, who said: “Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.” (John 6, 54-56).

The blood of Christ is the new drink, which we are called by the hymnographer to drink. And this drink gushes from the Tomb of Christ, it is the Blood of Christ, “the one poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins”. (Matthew 26,28). Interpreting the meaning of Christ’s blood and body, Saint Andrew of Crete, from Jerusalem, says: “Your body and Blood, crucified above all, did you lay down Oh Word; the blood to wash me; you gave the spirit to bring me, Christ, to your Creator”.

“This is what Jesus did at the beginning of the signs in Cana of Galilee and revealed His glory and His disciples believed in Him” (John 2:11). As you know, there are two signs that Jesus performed here, in the city of Cana of Galilee. On the one hand, the sanctification and blessing of marriage through His physical presence in it. “The honoured marriage was sanctified, and the[ancient] curse against the woman was abolished” says Saint Cyril of Alexandria. On the other hand, the transformation of water into wine by the unspeakable power of Christ: “By an unspeakable power the water was turned into wine. What is therefore [=difficult] to the all-powerful”? says Saint Cyril again.

According to Saint Clement of Alexandria, the wine at the wedding of Cana symbolizes the blood of Christ. “The scripture called the wine a secret symbol of holy blood. He proved again to the disciples that the blessed [water], was wine, saying: “I will not drink of the fruit of this vine until I drink it with you again in the kingdom of my Father” (Mt. 26,29).

In other words, the disciples of the Lord and all those who believe in Him will share in His joy and He in the joy of His disciples in the kingdom of His Father. “The drinking of wine does not only satisfy the need but offers to the senses the diverse pleasure; then the Resurrection from the dead, by which the decay of human bodies will have been removed and this nature of all things will be transferred to a place of renewal, so that even this joy of ours may be renewed by Christ Himself, our Saviour, Who instils His own innate joy into the souls of those who revere Him” says Saint Ammonios.

This, precisely, “the innate and unique joy of our Saviour Christ”, we too, my beloved brothers, are called to settle in our hearts during this time of the Resurrection of Christ, listening to the exhortation of the Theotokos who says: “Whatever he says to you, do it.” (John 2,5). And this is because the Risen Christ is He, “in whom we established”, according to the hymnographer Saint John of Damascus, invoking the Holy Bible which reads: “My heart is established in the Lord”, (1 Kings 2,1). Our firmness is none other than our faith in the Risen Christ (Cf. Col. 2:5), but also from the communion of the holy Body and Blood of Christ, who invites us all through the hymnographer exclaiming: “Come on this auspicious day of the Resurrection, let us partake of the new fruit of the vine of divine gladness and of the Kingdom of Christ, praising Him as God unto the ages” (Canon of Pascha, Ode 8, Troparion 1). Amen! Christ is Risen.

After the end of the Divine Liturgy, there was a litany three times around the Holy Church, with a large crowd of faithful Christians following in gladness, rejoicing and praying.

At noon during the meal that was offered for the Patriarchal Entourage, His Beatitude delivered the following address to those present:

“This chosen and holy day is the first of the sabbaths, the queen and lady, the feast of feasts, and the festival of festivals, wherein we bless Christ unto the ages” (Canon of Pascha, Ode 8, Heirmos), Saint John of Damascus exclaims.

Honourable President and members of the Ecclesiastical Committee,

Your Eminences,

Reverend Hegoumen Father Benedictos,

Beloved Brethren in Christ

The queen and lady of feasts, the feast of Pascha, has gathered all of us in the biblical and historical town of Cana to celebrate the event of the revealing of Christ’s glory through the signs which He worked in this holy place.

The active presence of the Church of the Rum Orthodox, namely of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem throughout the centuries is also witnessed by the Christian presence of the local Christian community which preaches and confesses the moral principles and values of love for one another, even for the enemies, of peace, conciliation and good coexistence with all the fellow citizens and religious communities who live here. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Ps. 133,1) the psalmist proclaims.

This message is relayed to the whole world, given that Cana is inextricably linked with the great sacrament of marriage, which our Lord Jesus Christ blessed, but also with the divine power through which He transformed the water into wine.

Cana of Galilee is a biblical and historical place, attracting thousands of pilgrims and visitors and it is a source of blessing, hope, and strengthening as well as relaxation. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11,28) the Lord says.

We also experienced this during our blessed ministry as the Hegoumen and humble spiritual shepherd for the people in Cana, in particular for our pious flock.

Because of this, today’s company with you has special meaning, which refers to the unity between our Christian flock and the Patriarchate, according to Saint Paul’s order: “Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4,3).

The presence of the Christians in the Holy Land, and of course in this blessed town of Cana in Galilee is encompassed in this order of Paul. “We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2,1). This advocate is the Holy Spirit, Who brings together and sustains the whole institution of the Church, that is why the Lord says, “and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 26,18), especially when it comes to the Holy Church of Jerusalem. Amen. Christ is risen!”

After the meal, His Beatitude made a Pastoral visit to the members of the congregation, which He had ministered in the past as an Archimandrite Hegoumen.

From Secretariat-General

At noon on Bright Thursday, April 7/20, 2023, the sacrament of Baptism was performed in the Grotto of Bethlehem by the Most Reverend Metropolitan Isychios of Kapitolias for the infant Angelina, daughter of the Consul at the Greek Embassy in Tel Aviv – Anastasios Konstandaras and the Consul at the Greek Consulate General in Jerusalem Mrs Christina Zacharioudaki.

In accordance with the Status Quo, the performance of the sacrament of Baptism in the Grotto constitutes a unique right by the approval of the Patriarchate for the children of Greek Diplomats in the Holy Land.

The Godmother of the baptism was Mrs Elisavet Eliadi.

The grandfather of the baptized, Ambassador Mr Georgios Zacharioudakis, and his wife, Mrs Angeliki Zacharioudaki, attended the ceremony.

His Beatitude our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos also attended the sacrament, accompanied by His Eminence Metropolitan Kyriakos of Nazareth, the Patriarchal Representative in Bethlehem, Metropolitan Benedictos of Diocaesarea, the Geronda Secretary-General, His Eminence Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina and Archdeacon Mark.

His Beatitude offered the newly-baptized infant a pectoral cross along with His wishes to her parents for her health and success.

From Secretariat-General