3rd May 2016

Your Beatitude,

Your Eminences,

Your Graces,

Beloved Members of our respective Brotherhoods,

Dear Fathers,

Christ is risen!

We greet you, Your Beatitude, and your delegation, with these joyful words from the Easter liturgy:

You descended into the tomb, Ο Immortal One,

you destroyed the power of death.

You arose in triumph, Ο Christ our God, proclaiming,

“Rejoice” to the myrrh-bearing women,

granting peace to your apostles

and giving resurrection to the fallen.

As we celebrate the Feast of Feasts, we do so in the wake of our recent agreement for the restoration of the Sacred Edicule of the Holy Tomb. From this Tomb has come the very peace and resurrection in which we rejoice together.

We wish to acknowledge the significance of this agreement, and the hope that lies in this united task. We have been entrusted by Divine Providence with the guardianship and the diakonia of the Holy Places, and our common spiritual mission in ensuring that the Holy Places remain open and accessible to all without distinction is a great witness to the world.

It is our prayer that the peace of the incarnate Logos, the Son of Cod, that God gives to us and to the world may deepen among us, so that the hope of the new life of the Resurrection that has been given to the fallen may be evident in our life. Our world, and especially our region, face the gravest difficulties, and men, women, and even children everywhere look to Jerusalem and the Holy Land in great hope. We say this, because we are aware that we are not here for ourselves alone. We are here, rather, precisely for this reason, to give our own living martyria, our own faithful witness, to the Light of the Resurrection to a world where there is deep confusion, uncertainty, and fear.

We thank you for coming to our Patriarchate to greet us in this joyful season, and may God bless you, Your Beatitude, in your primatial ministry, your Brotherhood, and all the members of the Armenian community in our beloved Holy Land.

Christ is risen!

His Beatitude

THEOPHILOS III

Patriarch of Jerusalem

3rd May 2016

Your Beatitudes,

Your Excellencies,

Your Eminences,

Your Graces,

Beloved Members of our Respected Brotherhoods,

Dear Fathers,

Christ is risen!

We welcome you to our Patriarchate with great joy in celebration of the Great Feast of Pascha with words from the Easter liturgy:

Christ is risen from the dead.

Now all things are filled with light;

heaven and earth,

and the nethermost parts of the earth;

let all creation, therefore, celebrate the rising of Christ,

whereby it is strengthened.

The whole world rejoices in the light of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and it is in this light that we are gathered today. We are pleased that our celebration of Easter falls within the Western season of Eastertide, even though you celebrated the feast some weeks ago.

Our celebration of Easter has followed the recent conference on the situation of the Christian community in the Holy Land that was held in Atlanta in the middle of last month. This conference was a crucial vehicle for enabling the Heads of the Churches and Christian communities of the Holy Land to be united in our mission and moral obligation to keep before the conscience of the world the plight of Christians in the Middle East. Our collective voice on that occasion had a huge impact on the many who were present, in a nation that has a great deal of influence on our region.

As the leaders of the Christian communities in the Holy Land, it is our obligation and our joy to be the guardians and servants of the Holy Places, and especially of this Holy City of Jerusalem. We are all witnesses of the sacred history, and we are aware that we are here not for ourselves alone. We are here to give our witness to the power of the cross of the risen Christ, and the hope that this brings.

As we sing in the Midnight Office before the proclamation of the Resurrection, you have stretched out your arms and united all that of old was separated, Ο Saviour… there is none holy beside you. Here we understand that the cross is the cross not of death and despair, but of hope and new life, for our Lord Jesus Christ has restored the union of heaven and earth, and given eternal life to all. It is for this reason that we can say, Ο come, all ye faithful, let us worship Christ’s holy Resurrection, for behold, through the Cross joy has come to all the world. We know this to be true, because especially on Great and Holy Saturday, in the ceremony of the Holy Fire, Jerusalem celebrates her unique identity as the spiritual home for all humankind, for it gathers everyone.

For this reason we must not lose hope, and must not be afraid. This is our proclamation to a world that is locked in confusion, uncertainty, fear, and violence, in which so many people are displaced from their homes. What world political leaders cannot offer, even with the best of intentions, we dare to say that the Church of Jerusalem does offer. It is therefore not surprising that once again this year we have seen such a large number of pilgrims, from East and West, from near and far, all coming to Jerusalem for the spiritual refreshment that they receive from the holiness of this City and from the sanctified Light that bursts forth from the Tomb.

Let us remain firm in our common spiritual mission, and let us rejoice in the hope that is ours in the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, a hope that we proclaim to those near and far.

We take this opportunity to congratulate Archbishop Antonios, the new Archbishop of the Coptic community in Jerusalem, as you celebrate your first Easter in Jerusalem. We hope and pray that the consensus for the restoration of the Sacred Edicule that has taken place between the three communities of the Rum Orthodox, the Franciscans, and the Armenians might be an inspiration for the restoration of the remaining parts of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, especially those that are related to our brethren of the Coptic and Ethiopian communities.

We thank you again for your greetings, and may God bless you and all those who are in your pastoral care throughout our beloved Holy Land.

Christ is risen!

His Beatitude

THEOPHILOS III

Patriarch of Jerusalem

3rd May 2016

Your Excellency,

Your Eminences,

Your Graces,

Beloved Members of our Respected Brotherhoods,

Dear Fathers,

Christ is risen!

We welcome you warmly, dear Father Dobromir and your brothers, to our Patriarchate in these bright days of the Paschal Feast, and we are delighted that, although you celebrated Easter some weeks ago, we are still in your season of Easter so that we may rejoice together in the light of the Resurrection.

Saint Francis himself captured the exuberance of our Easter joy in his great poem based on Psalm 148, which was translated into English in a famous hymn that includes these words:

Let all things their Creator bless,

and worship him in humbleness, alleluia!

Praise the Father, praise the Son,

and praise the Spirit, Three in One:

Ο praise him, alleluia!

Our Easter joy is made so much deeper this year in the wake of the historic agreement between our Communities for the restoration of the Sacred Edicule of the Holy Tomb. The co-operation and harmony that have been evident throughout this planning has an importance for us, it is true. But our co-operation and harmony have an even greater significance for our common mission here in the Holy Land and our common witness to the world.

The project for the restoration of the Sacred Edicule is an inspiration to many Churches and Christian leaders at home and abroad. We to whom the guardianship and the diakonia of the Holy Places has been entrusted, and to whom the pastoral care of the Christian presence in the Holy Land has been given| have a responsibility to act for the good of all. We say this because we are here not for ourselves alone, but to be a witness to the world of the living hope of the Resurrection. Our unity of purpose in this matter is therefore significant beyond this project itself, and we pray that it may be an encouragement to others in their work together for the sake of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We take this opportunity of your visit to us to express our gratitude to Father Pierbattista, with whom we have enjoyed a warm relationship, and whose personal leadership in this common work has been instrumental. We wish him well as he lays down the office of Custos and takes on new responsibilities, and we thank him, through you, for the significant contributions he has made during his many years of service as your Minister Provincial. We look forward to an equally beneficial and mutual relationship with the new Custos.

We are grateful to you for your Easter greetings, dear Father Dobromir, and we pray that our risen Lord Jesus Christ will bless you, your Brotherhood, and all those to whom you minister in our beloved Holy Land.

Christ is risen!

Thank you.

His Beatitude

THEOPHILOS III

Patriarch of Jerusalem

THE CARTER CENTER, ATLANTA, CA 19 April 2016

“The Church and its Roots in the Holy Land”

Your Beatitudes,

Your Eminences,

Reverend Fathers and Pastors

Distinguished Representatives of the Churches in the U.S.A.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are honored to be here at this important conference, that brings together Christians from the Holy Land and the United States, both for deepening collaborative efforts between us for peace-building as well as for finding new ways of supporting and strengthening the Christian communities of the region.

We are pleased to be sharing the podium this afternoon with the Heads of the Churches of the Holy Land, and we would like to acknowledge especially all those who have made this conference possible, especially Mr. Hanna Amireh, the Chairman of the Committee on Church Affairs of the State of Palestine, and the Carter Center here in Atlanta.

Our subject for these introductory remarks is “The Church and its Roots in the Holy Land,” and this is the right place to begin. To speak of “roots” and “rootedness” is to speak in very specific and profoundly theological and spiritual, as well as historical, terms.

We all understand the deep historical roots of the Church in the Middle East in general and in the Holy Land in particular. The Church was revealed at Pentecost in Jerusalem, and from those beginnings there has been a continuous Christian presence in the region. Over the centuries the Church has maintained our living presence in the face of a range of political, social, religious, and military changes. We have maintained our responsibility to be the guardians and the servants of the Holy Places, a responsibility that has been entrusted to us by Divine Providence, established by the life of the Church, affirmed by the Covenant of Omar ibn Al-Khattab, and guaranteed by the Status Quo, which was itself introduced by the international community. We have always borne witness to the religious, cultural, and ethnic diversity of the Holy Land.

In particular, we know that the presence of the Church has not only been a part of the political history of the region; Christianity has been a witness to its sacred history, and this sacred history embraces not only Christianity, but also to the other Abrahamic traditions, Judaism and Islam. Our roots drink of the same spiritual nourishment and Christianity is a natural and essential component of the spiritual geography of our region:

If our historical roots are clear enough, it is our theological and spiritual rootedness to which we would like to address a few brief comments. The Holy Land is the meeting place between Divinity and humanity, where God and human beings have conversed together. The-Holy Land is the place where heaven and earth are joined, where the Incarnate Logos took flesh, was born, lived among us, suffered death, and was raised from the tomb.  For Christians, and indeed for others there is no doubting the eternal significance of this encounter between God and humanity in this specific place and in a specific time in history.

And while the Incarnation is certainly a matter of history, it is also a matter of faith. Our rootedness as Christians comes not just from our long history, which has shaped and formed our living in this land; it comes from the relationship that we have with the living God and the his followers.

As we are reminded in Saint Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians,

I pray that_% according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

(Eph. 3:16-19)

Such rootedness is of profound significance for the Christian presence in the Holy Land,for our rootedness is deep within the heart of God himself.

Nor can we forget another fundamental theological truth that waters the roots of the Church in the Holy Land. We embrace the understanding that human beings are created in the image and likeness of God and this truth is the foundation for our understanding of the human person. But more than this, by extension we say that not only do we share a common humanity that is a mirror to us of God; we are also created of the same earth. The Church in the Holy Land not only has deep roots; we are created from the very earth in which those roots are anchored. And we return to this same earth.

This earth belongs to all. The particular earth of the Holy Land is not only our common home; it is our common origin and our common destiny. According to the Book of Genesis, we were “formed from the dust of the earth” (Gen. 2:7), and this common origin must be a reminder that we are united in a new common purpose to work together for the well-being and the flourishing of all who call the Holy Land their home and Jerusalem both their physical and spiritual capitol.

To be rooted, to speak of the roots of the Church in the Holy Land, then, is to speak at several levels, historical, spiritual, theological, even political – all of them significant. The Christian presence in Jerusalem and the Holy Land, and indeed throughout the entire Middle East, is under pressure in a way that is unprecedented in recent times. Christians face violence, displacement, and persecution, and they are often forced into migration, as are members of other religious affiliations. Once again the roots of the Church in the Holy Land are being watered by human blood.

In the face of such atrocities, we must not be fatalistic; our rootedness in the Holy Land and our witness to sacred history must nourish in us the gifts of the Spirit of which Saint Paul speaks so eloquently in the Letter to the Galatians:

In contrast to the fruits of a worldly mind, Saint Paul asserts that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control

(Gal . 5:22-23)

These fruits of the Spirit enable us to be free of possessiveness and make it possible for us: to see each other as those who are made in the image and likeness of God and who share a common humanity and a common destiny.

We live on the earth and not in heaven, and of course we remain deeply concerned for the future of the Christian presence in the Holy Land, as well as for the future of the Christian character of Jerusalem; without invalidating the legitimate claims of others. We are not interested in superiority over others, but we affirm that the long history and culture of our region in all its diversity has been shaped and formed by this Christian presence and the Holy Places

Christianity has produced in our region a civilization that is inclusive not exclusive. A civilization that values the rich diversity of peoples, languages, cultures, and traditions. A civilization that is practiced in the art of enabling diverse communities to live alongside each other, not simply in peace, but in a fruitful co-existence and harmony in which we honor the best and noblest in the other.

As an illustration of this, we wish to acknowledge the contribution of non-Christian leaders in the current ongoing historic restoration of the Sacred Aedicule of the Holy Tomb, a group of leaders that includes His Majesty King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, His Excellency the President of the Palestinian State, and others.

This is the kind of fruit that our roots in the Holy Land have produced, this Holy Land that encompasses the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the States of Palestine of Israel. Our rootedness, like our spiritual mission, exists not for ourselves alone, but so that the Church in the Holy Land may remain an eternal witness to our region, and a beacon to the world – a world that is crying out for hope and spiritual refreshment.

May this summit be a further step along the way of establishing reconciliation, mutual respect, vital co-existence, and a: lasting peace, so that all who call Jerusalem, the Holy Land, and the Middle East their home may flourish and glorify the Name of our common Creator.

Thank you.

His Beatitude

THEOPHILOS III

Patriarch of Jerusalem

13 April 2016

Your Excellency, Mr President,

Your Beatitudes,

Your Graces,

Your Eminences,

Respected Members of the Government,

Beloved Members of our Respective Brotherhoods^

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are grateful to be able to be with you to join our voices in the condemnation of violence and terrorism, wherever it .takes place, and especially in our region. The Holy Land is a beacon of hope to the World, and when the Holy Land and our peoples suffer violence of any kind, the bright light of that beacon of hope dims. We must always stand united against violence of any kind from whatever source it comes, and we are grateful, Mr. President, for your strong stand in precisely this regard.

As we reflect upon such matters, we are reminded of the words of the Psalmist, who wrote these haunting words:

“Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in their hearts;

there is no fear of God before their eyes.

For they flatter themselves in their own eyes

that their iniquity cannot be found out and hated.

The words of their mouths are mischief and deceit;

they have ceased to act wisely and do good.

 They piot mischief white on their beds;

they are set on a way that is not good; they do not reject evi”l.

 Psalm 35 (36) :1-4

The Scriptures are clear. Human beings are created in the image and likeness of God, and are endowed by with free will. Sin and evil are not inherent in our human nature, for human nature was created good by God. Rather sin and evil happen when men and women “cease to act wisely and do good.” In other words, sin and evil are acts of humankind’s free will, and, as we would say, the wrong use of free will.

The fruits of such a misuse of free will are many and destructive, but perhaps the most virulent of these fruits of the misuse of free will is arrogance. Arrogance is free will’s worst expression, for it blinds us to everyone and everything around us, and enables us to treat other human beings as means to our own ends.

In this terrible and terrifying misuse of free will are violence and terrorism born. We are right to condemn violence and terrorism, but we are also under a moral obligation to be very clear about the origins, from which such destructive actions emerge.

Yet we are not without hope, for in the same psalm that is so clear about the consequences of the misuse of our free will, there is a declaration of the power of the love and mercy of God:

“Your steadfast love, Ο Lord, extends to the heavens,

your  faithfulness to the clouds.

Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your judgments are like the great deep;

you save humans and animals alike, Ο Lord.

 How precious is your steadfast love. Ο God!

All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house,

and you give them drink from the river of your delights.

 For with you is the fountain of life;

in your light we see light”.

Psalm 35 (36), 5-9

We assure you, Your Excellency, of our ongoing commitment to the spiritual work of opposing the forces of sin and evil and in condemning violence and terrorism. May God bless you_, Mr. President, in your work of the defense and well-being of all the peoples of this land, and may we together build a safe and secure future for all our communities.

Thank you.

His Beatitude

THEOPHILOS III

Patriarch of Jerusalem

On Friday, the 26^th of March/8^th of April 2016, H.B. Theophilos, Patriarch of Jerusalem, led the Fourth Stasis of the Salutations of Theotokos at the Rum Orthodox Arabic-speaking Community of Haifa, wherein stands a church dedicated to the Prophet Elias, on the slope of Mount Carmel.

Co-officiating were the former Metropolitan of Zambia, Joachim, and Primates visiting from the Patriarchate of Moscow, namely Metropolitan Alexandros of Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky and Vishnevsky, Metropolitan Symeon of Vinitski and Barsky, and Archbishop Vladimir of Dneprodzerzhinsk and Tsaritsnanski. Also, the hegumen in Fhes, Archimandrite Ieronymos; the head of the Community, presbyter Demetrios, and Archdeacon Evlogios. Attending the service were several Orthodox faithful from the parish.

During mass, His Beatitude delivered a sermon in Arabic.

Upon the apolysis, father Demetrios and the Community Council hosted the Patriarch and His Entourage to a reception.

From the Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/4y2khS27zM8

On Thursday, the 25^th of March/7^th of April 2016, the feast of the Annunciation of Theotokos was observed by the Patriarchate in panegyric memory of the fact that the Archangel Gabriel was sent by God to Mariam, the pure daughter of Nazareth, and addressing her “Rejoice, O Full of Grace”, told her that by the Holy Spirit she would conceive the Son the of God, to which she replied “I am the servant of the Lord, may your word to me be fulfilled”.

The incarnation constitutes “the chapter of our salvation and the revelation of the age-long mystery”: the Son of God became the son of the Virgin, acquired our human nature, that in Himself through His entire work has blessed and deified.

The feast was observed in Nazareth, where the Annunciation had taken place. On the morning of the feast-day, the divine Liturgy was led by Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem, having as concelebrants: Metropolitan Kyriakos of Nazareth and Isychios of Kapitolias; Archbishops Jean of Charioupolis from the Ecumenical Patriarchate; Metropolitans Alexandros of Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky and Vishnevsky; Symeon of Vinitski and Barsky, and Archbishop Vladimir of Dneprodzerzhinsk and Tsaritsnanski; Archbishops Damascene of Joppa, Aristarchos of Constantina and Methodios of Tabor; the former Metropolitan o Zambia, Joachim; Hagiotaphite Hieromonks, led by Archimandrite Ieronymos, hegumen in Fhes, Jordan; Archimandrite Timotheos, hegumen at the Monastery of Tiberias; Archimandrite Sophronios, hegumen at Ai Lambun; Archimandrite Chrysostomos, hegumen in Kana, Galilee; Archimandrite Leontios of the Russian MISSIA in Jerusalem; Arabic-speaking presbyters and Archdeacon Evlogios, as well as other deacons, and Archimandrite Philotheos, hegumen in Accra. A pilgrim from the Metropolis of Langadas sang in Greek and the Nazareth Choir in Arabic, in the presence of the Greek Consul-General to Jerusalem, Mr G. Zacharoudiakis, and the Greek representative to Tel Aviv, Mr Gennimatas. A great crowd of pious locals and pilgrims from Greece, Russia, Romania and other countries participated in the service. In fact, so many were the faithful, that this Orthodox feast was observed as a feast of the entire city, led by the Head of our salvation, the Nazarene.

The Patriarch delivered a sermon in Greek, quoting the words of the Evangelist Luke as follows:

God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to the virgin Mariam.  The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you. Blessed art though amongst women… And she said “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you”’. “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her. [Luke 1, 26-38]

“Mary’s unquestionable contribution to the human race”, said the Patriarch, “lies in the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ became incarnate through her, and saved us from the fallacy of the devil and of the ancestral curse. In other words, the Virgin Mary liberated man from the chains of sin and the attrition of death. Also”, added the Patriarch, “the name of the Virgin is interpreted as “Lady”, which signifies that Theotokos stands above all as the source and root of the freedom of men”.

After Communion and the Apolysis, a procession followed from the Church of the Annunciation to the town’s centre, terminating at the Shrine in bliss and for the glory of God.

At noon, the Metropolitan of Nazareth and the Community Council hosted His Beatitude and Entourage and several others to meatless lunch with fish.

After lunch, the Patriarch and Primates visited the town of Touran near Nazareth, where His Beatitude inspected the renovation of the Church now underway by the subvention of the Patriarchate.

From the Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/eYMxNdMNlPM

httpv://youtu.be/6zD82XU-0nE

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd-PguRBq74

On Sunday, the 21^st of March/3^rd of April 2016, the Patriarchate celebrated the veneration of the Holy Cross at the Church of the Resurrection.

The feast of the Veneration of the Cross has been established by the Church to be observed on the Third Sunday of the Great Lent, so that through it the faithful may become strengthened in their spiritual fight for fasting and asceticism before welcoming the Holy Easter.

The feast was observed by the Patriarchate as great Parrhesia.

A. Vespers

Vespers began from the afternoon of Saturday by reading the Ninth Hour at 13:35 pm at the monastic church of Sts Constantine and Helen.

Subsequently, amidst bells tolling, the Patriarchal entourage proceeded to the Church of the Resurrection and venerated at the Holy Apokathelosis and the Holy Sepulchre.

Members of the Synod and the Primates went on to venerate at Golgotha, whilst deacons censed the shrines. The Great Vespers was led by Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem, the Primates concelebrating. Archimandrite Aristovoulos sang on the right, with the Most Reverend Joachim, former Metropolitan of Zambia on the left, as pious monks, nuns and pilgrims participated in mass.

On the conclusion of Vespers, the Patriarchal Entourage returned to the Patriarchates.

B. On feast-day

On the morning of the feast, after venerating at the Apokathelosis and the Holy Sepulchre, and once the Patriarch and Primates were dressed in sacerdotal vestments, the divine Liturgy was performed at the Holy Sepulchre, Patriarch Theophilos officiating. Co-officiating were Metropolitan Isychios of Kapitolias; Archbishop Vincent of Ploesti, Romania; Archbishops Dorotheos of Avila, Aristarchos of Constantina, Theodosios of Sebaste, Demetrios of Lydda, Philoumenos of Pella; Joachim, former Metropolitan of Zambia, and Hagiotaphite Hieromonks led by the Elder Kamarasis, Archimandrite Nektarios. In attendance was the Greek Consul-General to Jerusalem, Mr G. Zacharoudiakis, Consul Mr V. Koinis, and other members of the Greek Consulate-General, as well as praying monks, nuns and pilgrims.

On the conclusion of the divine Liturgy, a procession took place around the Holy Sepulchre and the Sites of Veneration.

After the Parrhesia, the Patriarchal Entourage walked to the Patriarchates, where His Beatitude addressed guests in Greek, extending thanks to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour for allowing participants the joy to venerate the Holy and Life-giving Cross on the very site where He had treaded. “This site”, the Patriarch said, “is the All-holy Church of the Resurrection, wherein lies the place of Christ’s martyrdom, Crucifixion and three-day burial. To this holy site we have come, clerics and laymen, and performed the divine Liturgy with Parrhesia, by proclaiming the great sacrament of piety, namely our faith to Christ Crucified and Resurrected from the dead”.

The holy services were broadcast live from the Church of the Resurrection and the Holy Sepulchre on the Patriarchate’s radio station: http://www.radio.jerusalem-patriarchate.info/

* A larger gallery with images from the Great Parrhesia of the Veneration of the Cross may be reached at the Patriarchate’s Central Website: http://www.jerusalem-patriarchate.info/eng and the following links:

https://www.facebook.com/JerusalemPatriarchate/photos_stream?tab=photos_albums and

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/b84p2tokn014wto/AAByVsJU9dJCW36xpyW8T_-Va?dl=0

From the Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/hvdPzjTyu8g

httpv://youtu.be/oGhQiqLyqYQ

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=https://youtu.be/SO9R6fGJtqg

At 10:00 am of Thursday, the 18^th/31^st of March 2016, His Excellency the President of the Greek Republic, Mr Prokopis Pavlopoulos, whilst on an official visit to Israel, visited the Patriarchate. Mr Pavlopoulos was accompanied by associates of his, the Greek Ambassador to Israel, Mr Spyridon Lambrides, the Consul-General to Jerusalem, Mr G. Zacharoudiakis, and employees of the Greek Embassy and Consulate in Jerusalem.

His Excellency the Greek President was warmly welcomed by H.B. Theophilos, Patriarch of Jerusalem, and several Hagiotaphite Fathers.

At the meeting, Patriarch Theophilos addressed Mr Pavlopoulos in Greek, saying that the Holy Sites of Veneration are inextricably linked to the spiritual grandeur of Hellenism and that “The Greek state, upon its independence, undertook the holy duty of moral and tangible enhancement and defense of its innate privileges and sovereign rights on the Holy Shrines. That is why”, His Beatitude added, “during the prelacy of our ever memorable predecessor, Patriarch Benedictus, the guarding power of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem and of its well understood interests was recognized both internationally and locally, namely by the State authorities of Israel, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Palestinians”. The Patriarch went on to say that the Patriarchate, centered around Jerusalem, the spiritual capital of all religions and all Christian denominations, is de facto called upon to contribute to the arrangement of the current political conflict by means of its spiritual and moral powers. And this, added the Patriarch, because the Holy Shrines provide a guarantee for the stay of Christians in the Holy Land and in the wider region of the Middle East.

Patriarch Theophilos went on to bestow on Mr Pavlopoulos the supreme distinction of the Great Cross of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre for his contribution to the nation and the Church.

In response, the Greek President conferred upon His Beatitude the supreme medal of Saviour of the Greek State, reserved only for leaders of states and heads of Patriarchates.

“The Order of the Saviour” read the text accompanying the medal, “is hierarchically the first Order of Excellence. Its establishment was decided in 1829 by the Fourth National Assembly in Argos. The name and form of the medal were chosen to remind everyone that the National Regeneration was made possible owing to the divine support of the Saviour”.

The subsequent exchange of gifts was followed by discussion on the work of the Patriarchate and the launched project of conservation and restoration of the Aedicula of the Holy Sepulchre, in alignment with the study conducted by an interdisciplinary team of the National Technical University of Athens under the supervision of Professor A. Moropoulou.

On the conclusion of the meeting, the Greek President, accompanied by the Patriarch and Hagiotaphite Fathers, went on to venerate at the Holy Sepulchre, where he was updated by Professor Moropoulou on the restoration works.

Mr Pavlopoulos also visited Golgotha and the Holy Cross at the Office of the Elder Sacristan of the Church of the Resurrection, where he was welcomed by Archbishop Isidoros of Hierapolis, before continuing his visit to Israel.

From the Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/t420Ppj-9zo

At 10.45 of Friday, the 12^th/25^th of March 2016, Doxology was held at the katholikon of the Church of the Resurrection on the national day of the 25^th of March 1821.

Doxology was led by H.B. Theophilos, Patriarch of Jerusalem, having as concelebrants Hagiotaphite Primates and Hieromonks, Hierodeacons and monks in the presence of the Greek Consul-General to Jerusalem, Mr Georgios Zacharoudiakis, members of the Greek parish and the Rum-Orthodox flock in Jerusalem.

Doxology included a prayer of gratitude to God for His help in the liberation of our nation from merciless slavery, and supplication for the repose of the souls of those heroically fallen during the years of the Revolution.

On the conclusion of Doxology, the Patriarchal Entourage returned to the Patriarchates, where the Patriarch addressed clerics and laymen in Greek.

“A bottomless source of inspiration for the revolutionary fighters of 1821”, His Beatitude said, “were admittedly the spiritual greatness of Hellenism, especially of the Christian Orthodox Faith, as proclaimed by the great figures of 1821, Germanos of Old Patras, Kolokotronis, Makrigiannis and several others”.

“We are obliged”, the Patriarch added, “to underline this today, as contemporary perception, namely of the new order, of the divine and natural moral values, e.g. freedom and respect of human rights, is permeated by motives of anarchy and worship of created things”.

“The Greek Revolution of 1821, for the faith and the homeland, has proven that man does not live for his mortal flesh, but instead for the unsurpassed grandeur of his godlike soul. “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Matthew 16, 26).

The Patriarch closed His speech by referring to the contribution of the Church of Jerusalem through the participation of it faithful children, both clerics and laymen, in the fight for freedom.

The Greek Consul-General went on to read the message of the President of the Greek Republic, Mr Pavlopoulos. Here follows an excerpt: 

“The unparalleled example of our ancestors the Fighters, of 1821, must inspire and guide us for all time. Even more so during this current historical occasion for our Homeland. All Greeks, both those living in Greece and those who make part of the thriving Hellenism abroad, owe, now more than ever, to create an unbreakable front of joint responsibility and coordinated actions, so that we may successfully deal with the new challenges of the times and secure a better future for Greece and the new generations of Greeks. Now is the time when Hellenism must take action, united, according to its nature and historical destination, making the best of the immense potential and the excellent quality of human resources and of the Greeks of the Diaspora”.

The Greek President also referred to the huge financial and social problem facing Greece today in consequence of the unprecedented flow of refugees, calling upon the country’s European partners to remember that the center of Europe is not the common currency but Man himself. “We ask”, said Mr Pavlopoulos, “of the European Union to remember its principles and deal with the Refugee problem in accordance with its political and legal civilization, isolating those extreme voices within its midst that advocate exactly the opposite choices and are guided by anti-humanitarian and anti-democratic phobic syndromes”.

The event closed with a reception hosted by the Greek Consulate.

From the Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/faac5ofJWus