On Tuesday, August 17/30, 2022, the new Archbishop of the Syriac Church in Jerusalem, His Eminence Jack Yacubvisited the Patriarchate, with a small escort of his clergy.

The new Archbishop Reverend Jack Yacub was welcomed by H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos after the Geronda Chief Secretary His Eminence Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina and other Hagiotaphite Fathers.

According to the Status Quo, the new Archbishop visited the first among the local Churches of Jerusalem, His Beatitude the Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos, upon assuming his temporary duties as Archbishop of the Syrian Church.

In the context of this visit, he discussed with His Beatitude issues of the pilgrimage Status Quo and issues concerning the situation of Christians in Jerusalem, Jordan, Syria and Iraq and ways of helping and supporting them.

On this visit, His Beatitude offered the new Archbishop of Syria a silver painting of Jerusalem and an icon of the Mother of God and of the Sacred Edicule of the Holy Sepulchre.

From Secretariat–General

At midday on Wednesday, July 28 / August 10, 2022, the Minister of Defence of Cyprus, Mr Charalambos Petridis, visited the Patriarchate, accompanied by the Ambassador of Cyprus to Israel, Mrs Theodora Konstantinidou, and by colleagues from his office, Andreas Iliadis, Andreas Markou, Konstantinos Konstantinou, Dim. Dimitriou, Michael Papastavrou.

The Minister was warmly received by H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos and Hagiotaphite Fathers, saying that he is particularly happy about the visit, that the Patriarchate is inextricably linked by close relations with Cyprus, which he considers an integral part of our nation, and that he follows the developments in Cyprus with lively interest. The Exarchy of the Holy Sepulchre in Cyprus is a testimony of these relations.

The Patriarchate of Jerusalem is a small Church, which is raised by the crown of Pilgrimages, the Holy Sepulchre, ensuring the unity of the Churches. The struggle of the Patriarchate is the preservation of the religious status of the city of Jerusalem. The Patriarchate carries out pilgrimage, pastoral and peacemaking work.

On this visit, the Minister offered His Beatitude the emblem of the Ministry of Defense, His Beatitude offered him an icon of Jerusalem in a silver plate, an icon of the Sacred Edicule and the book of the History of the Church of Jerusalem by Chrysostomos Papadopoulos.

After giving thanks, the Minister departed to venerate the Holy Sepulchre.

From Secretariat-General

At noon on Saturday, July 24 / August 6, 2022, a thirty-member group of the Greek Navy, i.e. the crew of the tanker “Ikaria”, visited the Patriarchate in the presence of the representative of the Greek Consulate General, Mrs Christina Zacharioudaki.

The leader of this group, Mr Georgios Manzouris, in the presence of the military entourage of the representatives of the Greek Embassy in Tel Aviv, addressed His Beatitude, saying that we have come from Tinos and Alexandria to Jerusalem, journeying in the Aegean sea and we are asking for Your prayers. We consider it a special honour that three of our family members are the Seminary School of Holy Zion students. We hope they will also join the members of the Hagiotaphite Brotherhood, whom we consider heroes.

His Beatitude welcomed this group saying that we welcome you with special joy, officers and students of the Greek Navy, future officers, and protectors of our homeland. Your presence is a strength for us, it strengthens our pilgrimage and pastoral work of witnessing Christ in the Holy Land, and we are grateful for this.

The Chief of the Hellenic Navy presented the emblem of the ship of the Navy with the islands of the Aegean and a scrapbook of the Navy with ships from the 2nd AD century, dedicated to the Patriarch of Alexandria and the Patriarch of Jerusalem.

The School of Officers offered His Beatitude the School’s album and the emblem of the School, while His Beatitude offered the Chief and the Officers and the members of this group the icon of the Theotokos of Jerusalem, the book of the History of the Church of Jerusalem by Chrysostom Papadopoulos and a Jerusalem blessing to all the members of this group.

From Secretariat-General

On the morning of Saturday, July 24 / August 6, 2022, a twenty-member group of representatives of the Greek Orthodox Scouts of the Joppa region and of all Israel visited the Patriarchate.

This delegation, under their leader Mr David Mansour, was warmly received by our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos and Hagiotaphite Fathers, Fr Issa Mousleh. His Beatitude blessed their gymnastics, sports and social activities and underlined the importance of their connection with the Patriarchate.

From Secretariat-General

On the afternoon of Thursday, July 22/August 4, 2022, a meeting took place in the Franciscan monastery in Jerusalem to inform about the ongoing maintenance work on the floor of the Rotunda and the space below the Seven Arches in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

In this meeting, the Patriarchate was represented by His Beatitude, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theofilos, accompanied by His Eminence Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina, the Elder Sacristan, His Eminence Archbishop Isidoros of Hierapolis and Archdeacon Mark. The Fraternity of the Franciscans was represented by the Custodian, Fr. Francis Paton, Fr. Dobromiro, Fr. Athanasios Makora and others, and the Patriarchate of Armenians under Archbishop Sivan and Archimandrite Gurion and the abbot of the Church of the Resurrection of the Armenians Archimandrite Fr. Samuel.

In this meeting, the technicians of the Sapientia University of Rome presented on screen the ongoing work of the maintenance of the damaged slabs and/or the replacement with others, which will be in harmony with the whole structural environment of the Church.

His Beatitude raised the issue of dealing with the problem of the drainage system of the Church of the Resurrection before any other work. For this reason, it was decided to conduct a study by expert technicians, which will be presented at another special meeting.

From Secretariat-General

On Thursday, July 22/August 4, 2022, the Greek football team “Aris” from Thessaloniki visited the Patriarchate.

This group came and asked for His Beatitude’s blessing for its football match. His Beatitude blessed them and wished them spiritual and football success.

From Secretariat–General

On Thursday, August 4th / July 22nd, 2022, the Chief of the General Staff of the Army, Lieutenant General Charalambos Lalousis, visited the Patriarchate, accompanied by Lieutenant General Christos Boufis, Brigadier General Konstantinos Karamanidis, Captain Mr Ioannou Stylianopoulos, and Chief of Staff Mr Petrou and Mr Theodoros Tsiros.

The supreme leader of the General Army and his entourage, in which the representative of the Consulate, Mrs Christina Zacharioudakis, were warmly received by His Beatitude, our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos and Hagiotaphite Fathers.

In the context of this meeting, His Beatitude told the military members that the strength of the Greek Army comes from its faith in Christ and the protection of the Theotokos and the Saints.

The Patriarchate considers itself a religious institution, but it also has its ethnic dimension, which the Church of Jerusalem has inherited from the Roman-Byzantine years, in a place watered by the blood of Christ and blessed by His burial and Resurrection. This fact is its strength. Through this power, the Patriarchate maintains through the centuries the multi-religious and multicultural Status Quo of the Holy City of Jerusalem and acts as a conciliatory, peaceful and negotiating pole, maintaining its ecclesiastical character.

The Patriarchate of Jerusalem faces problems created by extreme radical Jewish elements, which want to liberate the Holy Land from the “abominations” of the later nationalities who came to the Holy Land.

Grateful for these encouraging words, the Chief of the Army gave His Beatitude the shield of the Army and received His gifts, an icon of the Mother of God and the Holy Tomb of the Sacred Edicule of the Holy Sepulchre after its renovation in 2017, before leaving to venerate the Holy Sepulchre.

From Secretariat-General

On Thursday, 15/28 July 2022, the elderly Professor Georgios Galitis slept in the Lord. The blessed Professor specialised in the New Testament and taught ecclesiastical education at the Theological School of the Kapodistrian University of Athens.

On Saturday, 17/30 July 2022, his funeral service was held at the Holy Church of the Dormition in Anthousa of Attiki, led by the representative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, His Eminence Metropolitan Theodoritos of Laodikeia, with the co-prayer of Metropolitan Nikolaos of Mesogaia and Lavreotiki, their Eminences the Metropolitans; Chrysostom of Messinia and Chrysostom of Mani, at the presence of the departed’s daughters, Giouli, Peli and Lydia, his sons in law, Mr Paraskevopoulos, Mr Kyrvasilis and Mr Karakolis, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, the representative of the Archdiocese of Athens, His Grace Bishop Philotheos of Oreon and the Professors of the Theological School of the University of Athens.

The obituary was delivered by the representative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, His Eminence Metropolitan Theodoritos of Laodikeia.

The departed to the Lord, dearest friend and respected Professor, had been a collaborator and supporter of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem for a decade, an advisor in multiple Theological and Ecclesiastical issues and a representative in Inter-Orthodox and Inter-Christian Conferences, as per the detailed address below, of H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos, which was read by the representative of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Exarch of the Holy Sepulchre in Athens Archimandrite Raphael:

“Your Eminences, Holy High Priests,

In great sadness, we were informed about the blessed Professor of Higher Education Theology, pilgrim Georgios Galitis’ departure to the Lord.

We have had close ecclesiastical cooperation with the departed for many years. We held meetings since his teaching as a Professor at the Aristoteleion University of Thessaloniki and later at the Kapodistrian University of Athens whenever he attended the Church services at the Dependency of the Holy Sepulchre in Athens.

We are witnesses of the fact that the blessed Professor Georgios Galitis was governed by a deep faith in the Incarnate, Crucified and Resurrected Lord and by devotion to His Teaching in the Gospel and His Body, the Church. Having this faith as a compass, he became a genuine and tireless teacher of Orthodox Theology science. He presented this in interpretation in his multiple distinguished Theological writings and also presented it in Inter-Orthodox and Inter-Christian Conferences, as for many years, he was the representative of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem in the dialogue between the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Churches and in meetings of the Orthodox Churches for the preparation of the Holy and Great Synod of the Orthodox Church in Crete.

He zealously fought for the unity of the Orthodox Churches through his writings in the edited by him magazine “Anaplasis” and worked with a great interest for the reopening of the Theological School of the Cross in Jerusalem.

God blessed him with longevity, pious children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and fortified him with patience and endurance during his illness.

The Patriarchate of Jerusalem gratefully keeps the memory of the cooperation with him alive, and offers its deep condolences to his most pious wife, daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and the other relatives, and prays from the Horrendous Golgotha so that the One Who has authority over the living and the dead, the Immortal King and Righteous Judge, our Lord God Jesus Christ, may give him rest in the land of the living, along with the righteous, and “lay up for him a crown of righteousness” (2 Tim. 4:8) and may comfort with His strengthening comfort all those who honour his memory by their presence in this funeral service.

Everlasting his remembrance!”

From Secretariat-General

On Wednesday afternoon, 7/20 July 2022, the Chief of the Greek Navy, Vice admiral Stylianos Petrakis visited the Patriarchate, accompanied by a delegation of his associates and the Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem, Mr Evangelos Vlioras.

They were received by H.H.B., our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos and Hagiotaphite Fathers. 

During this meeting, His Beatitude referred to the Patriarchate’s religious, cultural and pacifying mission, which is accomplished by the support of our country Greece, the successor of the Byzantine Empire in the Holy Land.

The Patriarchate prays for the divine protection of our country’s Navy, for the protection of our country from the unacceptable and unprecedented challenges.

In remembrance of this visit, the Chief of the Greek Navy offered His Beatitude α coat of arms and a model trireme ship, while the latter offered him a silver icon of the city of Jerusalem.

Thanking for His Beatitude’s words and asking for His blessing, the exquisite delegation of the Greek Navy departed to venerate the Holy Sepulchre.

From Secretariat-General

On Wednesday, 7/20 July 2022, the new future Ambassador of Israel in Greece, Mr Noam Gatz, visited the Patriarchate, accompanied by Mrs Tani from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel.

H.H.B., our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos and Hagiotaphite Fathers received the new Ambassador and his companions.

During this visit, the Ambassador was informed by His Beatitude about the unbreakable bond between the Old and the New Testament, about the conflict between Hellenism and Judaism during the successors of Alexander the Great, and about the Church who has recognised the Holy Seven Maccabees as Saints, along with their mother Solomoni and their teacher Eleazar, and keeps their feast on 1^st August annually.

There was also a conversation about the current cooperation between the Patriarchate and the Ministry of Interior of Israel to grant the residence visa for the members of the Patriarchate, the monks and nuns, and for the entry and exit via Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.

The Ambassador asked for information regarding the relations among the Orthodox Churches, and His Beatitude replied that they are in communion or cooperation with each other, as well as about the relationship of the Orthodox Church with the other Christian Churches, and received the reply that they all communicate with each other and cultivate the theological dialogue.

His Beatitude referred to the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate in the three Palestine states, extending as far as Qatar.

Finally, the Ambassador asked His Beatitude’s wishes for the success of his new mission.

From Secretariat-General