29 December 2016

Your Excellency, Father Francesco,

Your Eminences,

Your Graces,

Beloved Members of our Respective Fraternities

Dear Fathers,

We greet you, Your Excellency, dear Father Francesco, with the joyful words of the much-loved Christmas hymn,  Adeste fideles;

Ο come, all ye faithful,

joyful and triumphant,

Ο come ye, Ο come ye to Bethlehem;

come and behold him, born the King οf angels.

As the eyes of the world are turned to Bethlehem at this holy season, as you celebrate your first Christmas as Custos, may you be encouraged in your ministry by the Light of the Incarnate Logos that shines from the Holy Cave,

We take this opportunity once again to congratulate you on your election, and to assert the good relations and co-operation that exist between our two Fraternities Your predecessor, His Excellency Archbishop Pizzaballa, was instrumental in shaping our common work and witness, and we look forward to continuing this legacy – a legacy that is crucial for the well-being not only of our respective Fraternities and communities, but of the Holy Land, and especially of Jerusalem.

It is precisely this mutual respect and understanding, and our ability to work together, that shows the world that we are worthy of the diakonia of the Holy Places with which Divine Providence has entrusted us.

We rejoice in particular at the good work that we are doing together for the restoration of the Sacred Edicule of the Holy Sepulcher. Our unity of purpose in the restoration of this, the most holy site in the world, is a wonderful witness to our common faith in the Incarnation and the Resurrection, and it shows that we can indeed overcome a long history of suspicion and difficulty for the sake of our spiritual mission. As you yourself have so rightly said in your Christmas message, it is our religious duty to move from the sentiment of the season to action for the sake of those who need the ministry that it is our responsibility to provide.

We look forward to continuing the good work on the Church of the Holy Sepulcher with you, as we move on from the restoration of the Sacred Edicule to the crucial repair and renovation of the underground water and drainage systems beneath the Rotunda.

The Holy Places are not simply stones, or even monuments of historical interest. They are the undeniable, living martyria of sacred history that we acknowledge and proclaim to the world.

As we celebrate this great Feast of the Nativity in our beloved Holy Land, may God strengthen us all to be faithful witnesses, jubilant in the news of the Birth of the Incarnate Logos and Son of God, who brings healing in his wake, and joy to the world.

May God bless you, Your Excellency, and all the members of your Fraternity, and we wish you all a very happy and holy Christmas, that the peace that passes all understanding may prevail.

Thank you.

Merry Christmas and Blessed New Year!

His Beatitude

THEOPHILOS III

Patriarch of Jerusalem.

29 December 2016

Your Excellency, Archbishop Pizzaballa,

Your Eminences,

Your Graces,

Dear Fathers

We greet you, Your Excellency on this joyful Feast

with the beautiful words of the ancient hymn

Creator of the stars of night.

When this old world drew toward night,  you came; but not in splendor bright not as a monarch, but the child of Mary, blameless mother mild

(Conditor alme siderum)

In this mystery of God’s kenosis, of the miracle of the Creator of the Universe who consented to be born in our human flesh, we share in the humility of God, and give thanks together for the incarnation of the Divine Logos, Who is Himself the source of our grace and the hope of our glory.

We are glad to be greeting you at this Feast in your capacity as Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate, and we are pleased that His Holiness Pope Francis recognizes in you the experience and wisdom that you have gained in your many years of life and service in the Holy Land.
The continuity of your ministry and presence among us helps greatly in the ongoing strengthening of our close co-operation, in the building up of which you have played a crucial role as Custos of the Franciscan Fraternity. Together our common work on the restoration of the Sacred Edicule of the Holy Sepulchre is a sign of great hope to a world in which there is so much despair.

But more than this, our co-operation in the diakonia of the Holy Places is a sign of something much deeper, for our co-operation also strengthens the effect of our pastoral mission.   At a time when our region and our communities are suffering terribly by a range of dangers and untold difficulties, this pastoral mission is always at the forefront of our common concern and efforts.

As primates we are charged primarily with the spiritual care and nurture of the children of God entrusted to us, and they rightly look to us for this ministry. May we together always be an encouragement to all our peoples and communities in Jerusalem and throughout our beloved Holy Land,

Creator of the stars of night, your

people’s everlasting light,

Ο Christ, Redeemer of us all,

we pray you hear us when we call.

May Christ our true God, who’s born in a cave in  Bethlehem, hear our prayers and give you strength Your Excellency, in your pastoral ministry.   And may God bless the members

of your community throughout the Holy Land. And may the peace of our Lord prevail.

Thank you.

Merry Christmas and blessed the New Year!

His Beatitude

THEOPHILOS III

Patriarch of Jerusalem

27 December 2016

Your Excellency, Mr. President, Reuven Rivlin,

Minister of Internal Affairs Arye Machluf Deri

Fellow Leaders of the Faith Communities,

Your Excellencies,

Your Eminences,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We greet you, Mr. President, in this season of light and hope for all our peoples with words from the Scriptures:

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you,  that God is Light and in Him there is no darkness at all,

– (John I:5)

At this time of the year, the eyes of the world are turned toward Bethlehem and the Holy Land, where for millennia the divine-human encounter has been made manifest, and even today we are living witnesses to sacred history.

We take this opportunity of this holiday gathering to express our gratitude to you for the firmness with which you defend the freedoms that lie at the heart of this democracy, especially the freedom of worship. And we are always encouraged by your commitment to the sacredness of life and your condemnation of all forms of terrorism, as you articulated most recently during your visit to Germany. These fundamental commitments are the basis of any society that understands that we share a common human destiny.

The State of Israel takes pride in the fact that this State was founded on democratic principles in the Middle East and that it guarantees full freedom of worship; and we are confident, Mr. President, that you will continue to resist any restrictions on religious practices.

For generations in this region we have lived by the rights, privileges, and traditions accorded by age-long custom and sanctioned by sacred history, and we who are the spiritual leaders of the faith communities of the Holy Land, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim, remain bound and committed to this foundation of our common life together. These rights, privileges, and traditions are part of the fabric of our region, and we trust that you will ensure that they are never abrogated or restricted.

We are keenly aware at this season of the unspeakable experiences of those who suffer around the world, and especially those who suffer in the countries around us. So many are suffering for the mere fact of their religious allegiance, and as those who serve the moral values of our respective religious traditions, we are deeply concerned. We appeal to all people of good will for an end to violence and for all peoples to have their own legitimate rights of self-determination and freedom.

Needless to say, the long and unbroken presence of the Jerusalem Church in the Holy Land has safe-guarded the religious and cultural qualities that have shaped our landscape. For our Abrahamic faith has been a beacon of light and this light must never be extinguished.

As we celebrate this holy season, Mr. President, we assure you of our prayers for you and for your family and we wish you a peaceful New Year. May God bless all the peoples of our beloved Holy Land.

Hag Hannukah sammeach.

Thank you.

His Beatitude

THEOPHILOS III

Patriarch of Jerusalem

On Sunday, the 12^th/25^th of December 2016, the memory of the Forefathers of Christ, especially Abraham the Patriarch, was celebrated in the Village of the Shepherds where the shepherds had heard the angelic hymn “Glory be to God in the highest heaven” and were urged to go to Bethlehem, present-day Beit Sahour.

At the Church of the Rum Orthodox Arabic-speaking Community, numbering approximately 7,000 members, Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem was welcomed on the morning of the aforementioned day by Boy Scouts, the Patriarchal Commissioner in Bethlehem, Archbishop Theophylaktos of Jordan, the town priests, and a crowd of faithful. Patriarch Theophilos went on to lead Matins and the divine Liturgy, having as concelebrants Metropolitan Isychios of Kapitolias, Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina, and Archbishop Theophylaktos of Jordan. Hagiotaphite Hieromonks, the Hegumen, Archimandrite Ignatios, and Hierodeacon Markos prayed with the church priests, Presbyters Savvas, Issah and Ioannis. In attendance was Mr Vassilis Koinis, representative of the Greek Consulate-General.

His Beatitude delivered the sermon in Greek, saying that we honour the Holy Forefathers because through them was the “mystery hidden for long ages past” revealed (Romans 16, 25). According to St Paul: “Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 3, 8-10).

In this very town, the Shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch of their flock, became eye witnesses of this revealed mystery, says the Apostle Luke. “An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.” (Luke 2, 8-11, 13, 14).

The Nativity of Christ, said His Beatitude, is about our own rebirth, but also about the progress of God’s perfect knowledge through works of justice. This is precisely what the wise Paul tells us in today’s excerpt from the Apostles: “But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator”. (Col. 3, 8-10).

After the divine Liturgy, a reception was hosted at the events hall next to the Church, where the Patriarch addressed the Community and extended wishes for Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

At noon, the Community hosted His Beatitude to lunch at Saint Gabriel, owned by Rum Orthodox, Mr Athanasios Abu Aepa.

From the Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/AiC3EcplPTg

A. In the town of Beit Jala

On Monday, the 6^th/19^th of December 2016, the Patriarchate observed the memory of St Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, Lycia, at St Nicholas Church of the Rum Orthodox, Arabic-speaking Community of the town of Beit Jala, adjacent to Bethlehem.

St Nicholas had lived in the 4^th c. AD. He was imprisoned by Diocletian and Maximinus, tortured and liberated when Constantine the Great, with the Edict of Milan in 312 AD, proclaimed that Christianity would be treated benevolently. He was one of the great Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, in 324 AD, who fervently supported the doctrine of the homoousion, the same essence between the Son and the Father.

The divine Liturgy was led by H.B. Theophilos, Patriarch of Jerusalem, who had as concelebrants Archbishops Aristarchos of Constantina and Methodios of Tabor, and Metropolitan Joachim of Helenoupolis; Hagiotaphite Hieromonks, the Arabic-speaking priests of the Church, presbyters Sahuan, Paul Alame and Joseph Hondali, and Archdeacon Markos. The Parish Choir sang for a crowd of Orthodox. To the congregation, His Beatitude delivered a sermon in Greek.

“The canon of faith, the image of meekness, St Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, Lycia, gathered all of us here”, said the Patriarch, “in order to observe his sacred memory on a day that coincides with preparations of the celebration of Christ’s incarnation in Bethlehem”.

St Nicholas, the Patriarch added, is recognized as a teacher of moderation, in other words a pedagogue of the faithful in the salvation of their souls. This means that Christians must excel in virtue, according to the Apostle Peter, who says: For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. (2, Peter 1, 5-7).

St Nicholas, the most fervent protector of the Church of Christ, His Beatitude added, “invites us to celebrate the great mystery of the Nativity of Christ with spirituality and not in social, secular and cultural terms. Christmas, Patriarch Theophilos said, is not a cultural event but one that pertains to the fall of sin and the restoration of the salvation of the human kind.

After the divine Liturgy, His Beatitude, accompanied by the town’s Boy Scouts, visited the Community Office before joining lunch hosted by Archimandrite Narcissus and the Community.

B. In the Old City of Jerusalem 

The memory of St Nicholas was also observed with Vespers and Divine Liturgy on the morning of the same day, at the homonymous Monastery in the Old City of Jerusalem, led by Metropolitan Isychios of Kapitolias, who had as concelebrants Archimandrite Leontios and Hierodeacon Agapios.

On the conclusion of the liturgy, Archimandrite Aristovoulos distributed blessings among the pilgrims and hosted Primates to a festive reception.

From the Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/81NBR7sNMWY

18 December 2016

Your Majesty.

Your Royal Highnesses,

Esteemed Members of the Government,

Your Eminences,

Your Graces,

Reverend Fathers,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In this season, as we prepare for the great Feast of the Nativity, we gather here under the auspices of Your Majesty to mark this holy occasion for so many of us and to stand united in our efforts to bring hope to the neediest in our midst. The words of the prophet Isaiah speak clearly to us:

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness -on them light has shined. (Isaiah 9:2)

The Christmas Feast is a significant celebration for the Holy Land and indeed for the entire region of the Middle East. Far here the events of our sacred history unfolded; here the divine-human encounter was made manifest in our life: here we have been the witnesses of this sacred history for millennia.

This Feast is significant also for our many peoples who live in the diaspora, and whose hearts turn to this, their homeland, at this season especially. As we express our Christmas greetings to you, Your Majesty, we express them also to all our peoples, at home and abroad, that we may always remember that we are united in the rich heritage that is our common possession here in Jordan and throughout our region.

In this time of joy, let us not forget those who are displaced in our midst from Syria, Iraq, and other countries around us, who have been living and walking in darkness for some time now, to so many of whom the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has given a place of refuge, and who look to God for the hope that the Light of the Incarnate Logos brings to the world. They look also to all of us to be agents of that same hope, and for the very practical assistance that they need to overcome the horrors of war, persecution, violence, and exile from their ancestral homes.

Let us dedicate this time that we are together here at this celebration as a prayer and a commitment, that God may, with our co-operation, bestow upon all those who are suffering, as well as upon us, his bountiful love, mercy, and deliverance.

We all bear testimony to the significant labours and efforts that, under Your Majesty’s careful guidance and wisdom, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is expending as we cope with this anguished situation, and we thank you for your vision that, time and again, is showing to the world that the Kingdom is a shining beacon of tolerance and true symbiosis – true co-existence. A tangible example is your Majesty’s contribution for the restoration of the Holy Sepulcher.

We also express our gratitude to you, Your Majesty, for this celebration, which builds on your Hashemite heritage and your keen understanding of the natural fabric of our common humanity and our shared society. Please allow us to say again what we have often said, that the Patriarchate of Jerusalem is proud to exercise our service under your gracious Custodianship, as are all those who serve the Holy Places, whether they be Christian or Muslim.

As we keep this festive season, we assure you, Your Majesty, of our prayers for you and all the Royal Family, for the well-being and flourishing of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and we ask God to bless all the peoples of our beloved Holy Land.

Thank you.

His Beatitude

THEOPHILOS III

Patriarch of Jerusalem

13 December 2016

Your Excellency, Mr. levin,

Your Excellency, Mr. Halevi,

Respected Members of the Ministry of Tourism,

Fellow Heads of Churches and Religious Leaders,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Once again, as we approach this rich and evocative season of religious observances, the eyes of the world are focused on the Holy Land. And we are reminded that Jerusalem holds a unique place in the hearts of millions of believers around the globe.

It is the dream of a lifetime for thousands of people to be able to come to this Holy City and to this Holy Land on pilgrimage at least once in their life, and so many come more than once. For so many the chief object of their journey is the Holy Tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we see their eagerness, their deep desire for spiritual nourishment. As the Psalmist says, so we experience:

As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, Ο God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

When shall I come and behold the face of God?

(Ps. 42:1)

Countless pilgrims come here driven by this very basic spiritual longing, and pilgrimage has increased as we have been giving attention to the restoration of our most sacred site, the Sacred Edicule of the Holy Tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ – a destination not just for Christian pilgrims, but for pilgrims of other religious traditions as well, who are prompted by the yearnings of their hearts to venerate this most sacred spot.

So we to whom Divine Providence has entrusted the role of servant and guardian of the Holy Places understand the meaning of pilgrimage not in terms of ordinary tourism, but in terms of something more enduring, something more fundamental to our human life and community.

For pilgrimage has to do with the soul of the people, both of the indigenous community of faith as well as of those who journey here from other lands. Pilgrimages give to individuals and to communities a dimension that is not visible to the eye, but is only perceivable by the heart.

The culture of pilgrimage promotes and deepens many aspects of our common human experience that are good in themselves; for example, unity, peace, reconciliation, and mutual understanding. When people from different countries and cultures gather at a Holy Place in prayer and devotion, every difference between them falls away, and they are united in a divine-human encounter that reveals to them that they share a common humanity and that they share a common destiny.

We must, therefore, not simply promote pilgrimage and do all in our power to make it as easy as possible for the faithful to have access to the Holy Places, especially at the time of the Great Feasts. We must not simply count numbers. We must not simply look to the bottom fine.

More than anything we must create an atmosphere that positively values pilgrimage and pilgrims, and understands the role that pilgrims play in deepening all those aspects of our common life to which we are all committed.

Ordinary tourists simply come to look, but pilgrims come to open their hearts and souls

to the Divine. When pilgrims come to the Holy Land, they embrace the land and its
peoples without distinction.   They understand the integrity and unity of the Holy Land and its complementary cultures and religious traditions. They sense the importance of the historic significance that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam give to the full identity of the Holy Land. Pilgrimage therefore is the great witness of the sacred history of our Holy Land.

So pilgrimage helps diverse peoples from many lands near and far understand each other at a deeper level. And we know the testimony of so many pilgrims, who have been changed as they come from their own countries and cultures to a place where all countries and cultures gather, mingle, worship together, and understand the spiritual mission of Jerusalem as the city that gathers the nations in its embrace.

Pilgrims bring great hope when they come here, hope for an encounter with the living God, hope for a deeper spiritual life, hope for eternal meaning in a world of fleeting superficialities.   They bring hope to us.

In their turn, pilgrims take away from the Holy Places a fresh energy when they return to their homes. This has been so from the beginning, when the earliest pilgrims would come to the Holy Land, participate in worship here, and then return to their own communities to bring our customs and religious observances to those who would never have the chance to come here.

We are therefore always vigilant to keep the Holy Places as places of spiritual encounter.

The Holy Places are a tangible sign of hope for our world, precisely because they are the focus of this divine-human encounter, and therefore of the infinite possibility that peace, mutual respect, and reconciliation give to the human community. The Rum Orthodox Patriarchate, along with our sisters and brothers of the other Christian communities of the Holy Land, continues to facilitate the spiritual journeys of all who come here in the humility and longing of pilgrimage.

We wish to express our gratitude to you, Your Excellencies, and to all those in government, who display the necessary sensitivity to the true nature of the Holy Places that is rightly theirs.

We value and appreciate this initiative that gives us the opportunity to be together and share our common concerns and commitments so that together we can improve the accessibility of the Holy Places to all who come here. So far our co-operation and mutual understanding between the Ministry and our Churches has been proved to be extremely conducive to the encouragement of pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and for this we are appreciative. And we look forward to a deeper co-operation So that pilgrims have the basic services which they would normally expect to have, as they do in the area around the Sea of Galilee, including Kafer Nahum.

We wish you peace and happiness in this holiday Season.

Thank you.

His Beatitude

THEOPHILOS III

Patriarch of Jerusalem

At noon of the 30^th of November/13^th of December 2016, the Beit Schmuel Institution outside the walls of Jerusalem, near David’s Gate, hosted an event organized by the Israeli Ministry of Tourism on the occasion of Christmas, the New Year and Hannukah.

Attending the event were the Leaders of Jerusalem Churches with their attendants.

Addressing the distinguished guests, the Minister of Tourist, Mr Yariv Levin, underlined the need for a spirit of tolerance amongst members of different religions and nationalities in the state of Israel for their peaceful coexistence and the attraction of tourists.

Patriarch Theophilos spoke on behalf of Christian Churches. The Patriarch’s speech may be reached here: http://www.jo-newsgate.net/en/2016/12/13/28351

From the Secretariat-General

On Tuesday, the 16^th/29^th of November 2016, the Patriarchate observed the memory of St Philoumen the Hagiotaphite and Hieromartyr at Jacob’s Well, the site of his martyrdom.

Hailing from Orounta, Cyprus, St Philoumen, Hagiotaphite since a young age, was serving as hegumen at Jacob’s Well when, in 1979, he was attacked by a fanatic Jew and suffered death at the chapel near the Well.

He was canonized by the Church of Jerusalem in 2009, on the site where the Lord had revealed Himself to the Samaritan woman. His relic is kept at the chapel dedicated to his name, to the south of St Photini Church, built by the hegumen, Hieromonk Ioustinos. To the north side of the church, a chapel has been attached, dedicated to St Ioustinos, philosopher and martyr from Nablus.

The divine Liturgy was led by Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem, having as concelebrants Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina, Metropolitan Joachim of Zambia and Hagiotaphite Hieromonks such as Archimandrites Ignatios and Mathew, and Hierodeacons Markos and Demetrios. Archimandrite Aristovoulos sang on the right in Greek, Arabic, Russian and Romanian, whilst the Choir of the Community of Raffidia sang in Arabic. The service was attended by a pious congregation from Greece, Russia, Romania, Ukraine and Cyprus.

During His sermon, Patriarch Theophilos said Hieromartyr Philoumenos had, since childhood, listened to the biddings of St Paul, saying: Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12, 1-2).

“If we wish to receive the light of the Gospel’s glory”, the Patriarch said, “we must conform to Christ in His death, participate in His persecutions and sufferings, so that we somehow attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3, 11).

“In other words”, His Beatitude said, “without temptation, trials and adversities, it is impossible for us to become worthy of the salvation of our souls” and went on to add that the memory of the holy martyrs calls us to realize that a Christian’s way of life is not of this world but must be inspired from the words of our God and Saviour, Christ.

In Arabic, the Patriarch’s sermon can be reached here: https://en.jerusalem-patriarchate.info/ar/2016/11/30/25767

On the conclusion of the divine Liturgy, the hegumen hosted guests to a reception followed by monastic lunch.

From the Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/PlzyZEuCz44

On Saturday, the 13^th/26^th of November 2016, H.B. Theophilos, Patriarch of Jerusalem, performed the consecration ceremony for St George the Great Martyr Church of the Rum Orthodox Arabic-speaking Community in the town of Peki’in, Northern Israel, that falls under the Bishopric of Acre.

Built over recent years, the Church was decorated on the economic and moral subvention of the Patriarchate so as to serve the veneration needs of the aforementioned community, in light of the narrowness of the earlier Church.

His Beatitude led the divine Liturgy, having as concelebrants Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina, Metropolitan Joachim of Zambia, Archimandrite Mathew, the Master-of-Ceremonies, f. Bartholomew, and Hierodeacon Markos, as well as the church priest, f. Athanasios, and Arabic-speaking priests from adjacent towns. Archimandrite Philotheos, Patriarchal Commissioner in Accra sang for the Orthodox congregation of the parish.

During His sermon, Patriarch Theophilos referred to the words of the Evangelist John: The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1, 14) and “out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given (John 1, 16).

“In truth”, His Beatitude said, “the Church of Christ, disseminated across the entire world, offers the bloodless sacrifice, namely the symbols of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ in altars consecrated by Christ”. “Christ”, Patriarch Theophilos added, “entered the House of God, namely heavenly Church, through the curtain that is His own flesh and blood, according to St Paul: Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body (Hebrews 10, 19).

Patriarch Theophilos also spoke of St John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, faithful friend of the Arch-Shepherd, Jesus Christ, and His emulator par excellence.

In Arabic, the sermon can be reached here:

https://en.jerusalem-patriarchate.info/ar/2016/11/26/25685

A great crowd participated in the Holy Communion, receiving the Patriarch’s blessing after the apolysis.

Patriarch Theophilos offered an icon of St George for the new Church.

On the conclusion of the divine Liturgy, the Community hosted His Beatitude to lunch, during which He spoke in Arabic, see link:

https://en.jerusalem-patriarchate.info/ar/2016/11/26/25687

Patriarch Theophilos then offered Church Commissioner Soukri the amount of 25.000 shekel for the completion of the decoration of the Church.

From the Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/V0R8iKOZuG0