On the morning of Wednesday, May 4/17, 2023, the members of the Ecumenical Council of Hungary from various Doctrines visited His Beatitude.

In this meeting, the Delegation said to His Beatitude, “It is an honour for us to be in the Holy City and visit You and to know about Your Flock and activity”.

His Beatitude replied: “We greet and welcome you to Our Rum Orthodox Church, which Our Lord Jesus Christ established on earth, which was watered by His redemptive blood”.

His Beatitude then said that Jews and Christians are linked by the Old and New Testament common tradition, and Christians and Muslims are linked by the treaty of the late Patriarch Sophronios with Caliph Omar Khattab in AD 638.

The recognition of the Patriarch of Jerusalem by the State of Jordan, the State of Israel and the Palestinian Authority is based on this tradition.

On this visit, gifts appropriate to the occasion were presented.

From Secretariat-General

On Tuesday the 3rd / 16th of May 2023 H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos accepted:

The Priest and the representatives of the county of Touran, in order to invite Him for the Divine Liturgy and a Pastoral visit on May 15/28, 2023, Sunday of the Holy Fathers.

Afterward, His Beatitude received the priest of the Kufr-Smea Community of the Acre-Ptolemais area, Father Spyridon, with, Commissioner Mr Youssef Nasser and his sons, who built the new Church of this town, and discussed with them issues of their Community.

From Secretariat-General

At midday on Monday, May 2/15, 2023, His Eminence the Metropolitan Daniel of Caesariani, visited the Patriarchate together with a group of clergy from his diocese.

In the context of this visit, His Beatitude our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos bestowed on His Eminence the Metropolitan of Caesariani the honorary distinction of the Superior Grand Commander of the Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, in recognition of his devoted ministry to the Church as a Hierarch and a Priest, at the Chief-secretariat of the Church of Greece, with the blessed Archbishop of Athens. Christodoulos, the charity and other diverse ministries of the Church of Greece, and his close cooperation and support for the Holy Places and the Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

Moved, His Eminence the Metropolitan of Caesariani thanked His Beatitude and praised Him for the wise governing of the Church of Jerusalem for the benefit of the Hagiotaphite Brotherhood, the Christians of the Holy Land, and the unity in Christ of the Orthodox Churches.

From Secretariat-General

On the morning of Thursday, April 5/11, 2023, His Beatitude received Mr Trond Buckevitz from Norway, who has been working for years in the peace dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians, and his successor, Mrs Ingrid Rosendoof Joys, who worked in the organization “The council for religion and life communities”.

Then He received His EminenceMetropolitan Chrysostomos of Patra, leading a group of 50 pilgrims

and the nuns of the Holy Monastery of the Annunciation of Hormylia, Halkidiki, under their Abbess, nun Nicodimi,

and finally His Eminence Metropolitan Antonios and Fr Nikolaos Balasov of the Moscow Patriarchate.

At last, His Beatitude received Mrs Madeea Axinciuc, Director of Theology and Philosophy of the University of Bucharest.

From Secretariat-General

On Saturday, April 16th/29th, 2023, the eve of the Sunday of Myrrh-bearing Women, the Community of South Pkea, a town of the region of Acre – Ptolemais under its priest Fr Ioannis, the Commissioners and about twenty members visited the Patriarchate and thanked His Beatitude our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos for the ecclesiastical, moral and material support provided to them.

The representatives of the Orthodox Scouts, who participated in the Easter celebrations and the Orthodox “Nadi” – Orthodox Club, also visited His Beatitude and thanked Him for the support provided to the Christian presence in the Holy Land.

A delegation of the parish of the Cathedral of Saint James the Brother of God also visited His Beatitude and asked for His blessing for the transfer of the choir of this parish to the Patriarchate of Serbia through cooperation with the “Branko” choir of the city of Nis – the birthplace of Constantine the Great – and with the choir of the Cathedral of Saint Savva in Belgrade.

Finally, His Beatitude was visited by the Arabic translator of the posts of the Official Website of the Patriarchate, Dr Nikolas Khouri, who acquired Greek citizenship, with his parents, his wife Dr Nicoleta Papaeugeniou and his son and thanked His Beatitude for His trust and support.

From Secretariat-General

On Monday, 11^th/24^th April 2023, after Thomas Sunday, His Eminence Metropolitan Ioannikios of Montenegro and a group of pilgrims with him, Priests and laity, visited His Beatitude our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos and asked His blessing and congratulated Him on the feast of Pascha.

After that, the Priests and members of the Bethlehem Community, under the Patriarchal Representative in Bethlehem, His Eminence Metropolitan Benedictos of Diosaecarea,

followed by the Priests of Beit Sahour, the Stewards of Taybe from Ramallah district and the Stewards of Ramle, the ancient Arimathea, under their Hegoumen Archimandrite Niphon,

who invited His Beatitude at the feast of Ramle, next Sunday of the Myrrh-bearing Women.

From Secretariat-General

On the Tuesday of Bright Week, April 5th/18th 2023, the local Western and Pre-Chalcedonian Christian Churches of Jerusalem visited our Patriarchate on the occasion of Pascha.

First, the Franciscan Brotherhood, Custodians of the Holy Land, under their Abbot, His Eminence Francesco Patton visited the Patriarchate. These were addressed by H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos.

Subsequently, the Patriarchate was visited by all the other Christian Churches of Jerusalem, that is, the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem under the representative of the Latin Patriarch His Eminence Somali, the Lutheran Church under its Archbishop His Eminence Sani Azar, the Anglican church under its Arhbishop, Naum Husam, and the Pre-Chalcedonian Churches Copts, Syrians, Ethiopians, except the Armenians.

All these were received by His Beatitude our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem with an address.

Subsequently, His Beatitude received the priests and the Trustees of the Community of the Cathedral of Saint James the Brother of God on the feast of Holy Easter.

The visit to the Coptic, Syrian and Ethiopian Churches was returned by the Most Reverend Archbishop Theodosios of Sebasteia.

From Secretariat-General

On our Holy Tuesday, March 29/April 11, 2023, the Hagiotaphite Brotherhood visited the Western Churches on their Easter.

At first, they visited the Fraternity of the Franciscans, Custody of the Holy Land.

In the context of this visit and reception, His Beatitude, our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos addressed the Franciscan Brotherhood under its abbot Fr Francesco Paton.

Afterwards, the Brotherhood visited the Latin Patriarchate.

Then His Beatitude addressed the Latin clergy under their Patriarch in Jerusalem, His Beatitude Pierre Battista Pizzaballa through His address below: (to be posted soon).

Afterwards, His Beatitude, with the Archdeacon Mark and the Geronda Secretary-General, visited the Apostolic Delegate and the Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem, Mr Naum Hussam, while the Most Reverend Archbishop Theodosios of Sebasteia, visited the Lutheran Church under Reverend Sani Azar.

From Secretariat-General

1- On the morning of Saturday, March 17/April 1, 2023, the Commissioners of the Community of South Pkea of the Ptolemais/Acre region of Northern Israel visited H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos, in the presence of His Eminence Metropolitan Isychios of Kapitolias, and His Eminence Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina and asked for his blessing and help with matters of their Holy Church.

Blessing them, His Beatitude gave them a book of the Gospel and Pentecost in Arabic for use in their worship and a beautiful icon of the Resurrection and financial assistance for the construction of new pews.

2- His Beatitude also received a Delegation of the Greek Air Force under the Military Attaché of the Greek Embassy in Tel Aviv, Mr Georgios Petrou, and spoke to them about the Sacred History of the Old and New Testaments, which the Jerusalem Patriarchate embodies in the present time.

3- Finally, he received the pilgrim sisters Foteini and Anna, daughters of the blessed Professor of the Patriarchal School Vassilios Oreopoulos, blessed them and prayed for the repose of their father’s soul.

From Secretariat-General

On Friday, March 18/31, 2023, the Hegoumen of Cana of Galilee, Archimandrite Benedict Kayal and the Commissioners of the Community visited H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos and they discussed issues of the flock and invited him, according to the custom,  for their next feast, on Sunday of Thomas.

From Secretariat–General