On Thursday the 8^th/21^st of November 2013, the feast of the Gathering of the Archangels Michael and Gabriel was celebrated by the Patriarchate.

The feast was firstly celebrated in the city of Joppe, where the Patriarchate maintains a Holy Monastery dedicated to the Archangels by the sea, on the site where the Apostle Peter had the vision of the great sheet descending from the sky, and heard a voice telling him to kill and eat from all clean and unclean animals seen into the sheet: “Kill and eat, what God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy” (Acts, 11, 7). Through this very vision, God declared His will that the church should open its gates to the gentiles, considered unclean.

In this church, which was renovated after having been reduced to ashes in a fire, at the expenses of His Eminence Damaskinos, Archbishop of Joppe, His Beatitude Theophilos, our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem, led the Divine Liturgy. His Beatitude arrived from Jerusalem with His retinue and was welcomed by the Boy Scouts Association in the square near the Monastery.

Co-officiating with His Beatitude were the Most Reverend Kyriakos, Metropolitan of Nazareth; Bishop Jovan of Ulpiana, visiting from Serbia; His Eminence Damaskinos, Archbishop of Joppe; His Eminence Aristarchos, Archbishop of Constantina and Elder Secretary-General; His Eminence Methodios, Archbishop of Tabor; the Patriarchal Commissioner in Bethlehem, Archbishop Theophylaktos of Jordan; His Eminence Nektarios, Archbishop of Anthedon; Hagiotaphite Hieromonks, Arab-speaking Presbyters and Hierodeacons.

The Greek Ambassador in Tel Aviv, Mr Spyridon Lambrides, piously attended the Divine Liturgy in the company of associates of his from the Embassy and a crowd of Orthodox faithful from the city of Joppe and other cities of Israel, whilst, under the direction of the Head Cantor of the All-Holy Church of the Resurrection, Archimandrite Aristovoulos, the choir chanted in Greek, Arabic, Russian and Romanian, the congregation participating piously.

To the faithful, His Beatitude preached the Word of God. This is an excerpt from His speech:

 […] These immaterial Minds, namely the angels, “are ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation” (Hebrews 1, 14). The angels’ ministry is confirmed by the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ, saying: “there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents”, (Luke 15, 10). Besides, the Melodist of our Church declares: “Let us praise the bodiless ministers of God, those who always mediate for our salvation and commend repentance”.

[…] The angels, as God’s ministering spirits, actively participate in the work of man’s salvation, as revealed through the words of Christ:“For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done” (Matthew 16, 27).

The Divine Liturgy was followed by a brief reception, then lunch at the Hegoumen’s Quarters, courtesy of His Eminence Damaskinos, Archbishop of Joppe.

The feast of the Archangels was also celebrated at the Monastery dedicated to them in Jerusalem by means of Vespers and a Divine Liturgy, led by His Eminence Demetrios, Archbishop of Lydda, who also preached the Word of God to the faithful.

From the Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/nESo4EydL-g

Jerusalem, Monday 18-11-2013

Honorable Mayor Nir Barkat,

We are gathered here today to welcome your new term as Mayor, and it is our pleasure to extend to you, on behalf of the Jerusalem Christian community and on behalf of our Patriarchate, our sincerest wishes for productive municipal governance throughout your term.

We look forward to further cooperation and understanding between our Christian leadership and the municipality, and encourage you to sustain your attentiveness to the sensitivities of the various Jerusalem communities, especially our Christian communities, which have modeled the ecumenical character that defines Jerusalem.

“I am present like springtime in the mountains, like the feet of one who announces a good report of peace, like one who preaches good things (Isaiah 52:7).”

The municipality of Jerusalem holds a unique position amongst all other local governments of the world due to the holiness of this land, which has been implemented by God Almighty, and is shared by the Jews, Christians, and Muslims. It is, after all, the place where heaven and earth meet.

For this reason, the office of Mayor of Jerusalem is one that carries with it high prestige, yet at the same time bears an equally high level of responsibility. Jerusalem, as a spiritual oasis for the whole world, calls visitors from every corner of the globe, from every faith and background. It is looked to by all as a microcosm of humanity co-existing. It is in this regard that we take so seriously the need to engage ourselves in continued interaction for the common benefit of all people.

Mr. Mayor, as we celebrate this event to honour you in the commencement of your incumbency, it should not be inappropriate to bring to your attention our concerns and reasonable expectations as an ancient presence and integral embodiment of this sacred city. We kindly request to have a meeting with the municipality administration to discuss some matters related to the religious character of Jerusalem, and of course, of practical common concern.

Since Jerusalem continues to be a living wellspring for the soul, we seek to fulfill our responsibility as co-inheritors of its sacredness, looking forward rather than to the past, in order to strengthen and support this lifesource; wherefrom peace and reconciliation emanate.

Allow us to reassure you of our commitment to uphold our spiritual and historical mission, which is to guard and serve the holy places that have been entrusted to us, and to maintain them as places of worship, accessible to all faithful without prejudice. In doing so, we also assure our commitment to Jerusalem, which is per se, a holy place of blessedness, not only for us who reside here, but for the whole world.

As Jerusalem prepares to enter its festive season, we would like to wish you and your colleagues, health, long life, and full success in your important administrative mission.  Thank you.

His Beatitude

THEOPHILOS III

Patriarch of Jerusalem

On Saturday the 3^rd/16^th of November 2013, the feast of the translation of the relics of St George the Trophy-Bearer and Great-Martyr was celebrated in the Holy Church dedicated to him in Lydda.

The Holy Church of St George was the first to be built in his honour after the Edict of Milan was issued by St Constantine in 313 AD, by his mother St Helena who came to the Holy Land in 326 AD. St Helena built the church on the grave wherein the saint’s holy relics had been translated by his servant from Rome. In Rome St George suffered a martyr’s death after having confessed his faith in Christ, thus abandoning the Roman army to join the army of Christ’s martyrs.

This holy Church conquered the force of time and the alternation of powers in the Holy Land. It has been conferred on the basis of the building’s history and structure, half of the building has been seized to be used as a mosque.

In the remaining magnificent part of the church, on top of the tomb which has been preserved in the form of a crypt-chapel, His Beatitude Theophilos, Our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem led the Divine Liturgy. His Beatitude was welcomed by the Boy Scouts of the city of Lydda; the Hegoumen of the Holy Monastery, the Very Reverend Archimandrite Sophronios; the Greek-Orthodox Council, Majlis, and the Acting Mayor of the city of Lydda, Mr Abib Wasserman. Co-officiating were the Most Reverend Isychios, Metropolitan of Capitolias, and His Eminence the Archbishop of Joppe, Damaskinos; the Elder Secretary-General Aristarchos, Archbishop of Constantina; the Most Reverend Metropolitan of Archangelsk, Daniel, visiting from the Church of Russia; the Secretary of the Holy and Sacred Synod, His Eminence Demetrios, the Archbishop of Lydda; the Exarch of the Holy Sepulcher in Constantinople, His Eminence Nektarios, the Archbishop of Anthedon; Hagiotaphite Hieromonks, the Hegoumen of Remli, Archimandrite Nephon; Arab-speaking Presbyters and Hierodeacons; the Greek Ambassador to Tel Aviv, Mr Spyridon Lambrides; the Serb Ambassador, and a great crowd of faithful from the city of Lydda and the neighbouring countries of Joppe and Remli, but also from the cities of Galilee and the occupied areas of Judea and Samaria, whilst, under the direction of the Head Cantor of the All-Holy Church of the Resurrection, Archimandrite Aristovoulos, the choir chanted in Greek, Arabic, Russian and Romanian, the congregation participating piously.

To the faithful, who had gathered to venerate the tomb of St George in piety, respect and devoutness, His Beatitude preached the Word of God during the Koinonikon of the Divine Liturgy. This is an excerpt from His speech in Greek:

[…] The festive commemoration of the martyrdom of St George, my dear brothers, as well as his time, is not the historical past; it is indeed the present and the future. And this we say in the face of an indisputable reality of displacement, of persecutions and martyric deaths of innocent children and our fellow human beings, especially our brothers in conviction and religion, both near and far from what Paul has termed our temporary stay; to this very reality the word of the Gospel can be fully applied: “in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God” (Jn: 16:2)Indeed: as if this weren’t enough, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think that not only is he not committing a crime, but that with this murder he is worshipping God. […]

In other words, the work of the devil has many times been conducted in the guise of God’s deacon and many times ferocious enemies of the truth in Christ sat “in the Temple of God”, (2 Thessalonians, 2:4)

In Arabic, the speech may be read here: https://en.jerusalem-patriarchate.info/ar/2013/11/16/2822

At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, Archimandrite Sophronios offered refreshments and pastries to the Patriarchal Retinue and the crowd, in the Hegoumen’s Quarters opposite the church. At noon, lunch was offered by the Hegoumen and the city’s Community Council at “Nandi” –Orthodox Group, in the presence of the Acting Mayor of the city of Remli, Mr Abib Wasserman; former MP, the Christian Nadia Heloue, and a representative of the Islamic Community of Remli.

There, His Beatitude addressed those present with this speech: https://en.jerusalem-patriarchate.info/ar/2013/11/16/2821

and went on to offer monetary assistance for the benefit of the Community and the Boy Scouts of the city of Lydda.

From the Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/WQhwDhVGbhI

On Saturday the 27^th of October/9^th of November 2013, His Beatitude Theophilos, our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem, performed the divine Liturgy in the city of Ib’lin (Abelin), in Northern Israel, where the Patriarchate preserves a Rum Orthodox Community, numbering approximately five thousand members. The Community falls under the jurisdiction of the Holy Metropolis of Ptolemais, present-day Accra.

The liturgy was intended for the spiritual communication and collaboration between his Beatitude and His spiritual children; also, for the installation of recently ordained priest, f. Savvas Haj. Father Savvas will serve as assistant parish priest to the elder f. Spyridon, who has been serving the Community of the city of Ib’lin for several years now.

Co-officiating were the Prelates of the Patriarchate, the Most Reverend Kyriakos, Metropolitan of Nazareth, and His Eminence Theodosios, Archbishop of Sevasteia.

During the koinonikon, His Beatitude addressed the installed priest, f. Savvas, and the pious congregation. This is an excerpt from his address:

[…] To increase and establish our holy zeal, we have proceeded, upon a Synodic decision, to the appointment of two parish priests, who are to co-officiate with the venerable and grey-haired priest and Steward, Spyridon Aouad. These new labourers in our Lord’s vineyard are your fellow parishioners, the recently ordained f. Savvas, and Steward f. Demetrios, for the time being a minister in the Community of Haifa.

Let us, my dears, summon our Father, the God of lights, so that his Only Son and Word, He who is the true light, may illuminate their faces and guide their steps towards the achievement of His commandments, by means of the mediation of the Mother of God, the Ever Virgin Mary, and the supplications of the Holy Great-Martyrs, St Demetrius and George. Amen.

At the conclusion of the divine Liturgy, during a reception held in a hall next to the church, the installed priest, f. Savvas, addressed His Beatitude. In his address, f. Savvas extended his thanks for the privilege to serve as priest in his hometown of Ib’lin. In His reply, His Beatitude wished f. Savvas a fruitful diaconate ministry, endowed with hieratic consciousness, diligence and dedication.

From the Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/JhUG5ybI4ro

On Tuesday, 23^rd of October/5^th of November 2013, the memory of the glorious apostle and hieromartyr James, the Brother of the Lord, was celebrated by the Patriarchate of Jerusalem in the ancient church dedicated to him. The church stands between the Central Monastery of the Hagiotaphites and the All-holy Church of the Resurrection, beneath its belfry. It constitutes the Cathedral of the Rum Orthodox Arab-speaking Community of Jerusalem.

In the afternoon, at 2:30 pm, Vespers was held, led by His Beatitude Theophilos, our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem. The procession of Vespers was attended by Hagiotaphite Fathers, nuns, Arab-speaking locals, parishioners and pious Greek-speaking and Russian-speaking pilgrims. After the procession, amidst the sound of bells ringing, the Patriarchal Retinue progressed to the Patriarchates.

On the day of the feast, at 8:00 am, His Beatitude Theophilos arrived at the Church of St James, began chanting the Katabasias, and led the Matins and Divine Liturgy. Co-officiating were Hagiotaphite Prelates: their Eminences the Archbishops of Avila, Tabor and Sevasteia, Dorotheos, Methodios and Theodosios respectively; Hagiotaphite Hieromonks and the presbyters of the Church of St James, Steward f. Issa Touma and priest Farah-Charalambous Bantour, and hierodeacons. The Greek Consul-General in Jerusalem, Mr Georgios Zacharoudiakis attended the service in the company of his associates and a crowd of Orthodox faithful, Jerusalemite parishioners and pious pilgrims.

To this Christian crowd, His Beatitude preached the Word of God in Greek. This is an excerpt of His speech in English:

Today the Church of Christ and indeed the Church of Jerusalem delights and rejoices because St James was proclaimed an Apostle and the first Bishop in Jerusalem by the Lord himself and was the first to write and set forth the Divine Liturgy, taught by none other than Christ.

In other words, my dear brothers, St James became an eye and ear witness to the mystery of divine economy in Christ and of Christ’s teachings, as demonstrated by his catholic epistle, where he names himself James of God, the servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. And truly, he is recognized as a servant of Christ. This, because he faithfully emulated Christ in words and deeds, as attested in the preaching on faith included in his epistle, namely: “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food.If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead”. (James 2, 14-17 & 26)

In Arabic, the speech may be accessed here: https://en.jerusalem-patriarchate.info/ar/2013/11/05/2810

At the end of the d. Liturgy, the Patriarchal Retinue progressed to the Patriarchates, followed by Hagiotaphite Prelates from the rooftop of St James, as is the custom. Blessed bread was distributed by the supervisors of the Patriarchate’s bakery, Hieromonk f. Paisios and the reverend nun Serapheima, at the exit from the Central Monastery on the way to the Patriarchate.

During the reception at the Patriarchate, His Beatitude addressed in Greek the Hagiotaphite Fathers, the Consul-General and laymen. An excerpt from the address is cited here in English:

“It is precisely the wisdom of God, namely the Holy Spirit, which makes us not strangers to God but his fellow citizens, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone”. (Ephesians 2, 19-20).  

The safe-keeping of the construction of the Church, assembled in Christ, is guaranteed by the apostolic succession through which the Church is prolonged in Christ and through Christ along the centuries. As proprietors of this treasure in the face of the holy, glorious and most honourable Apostle James, we have properly and assuredly performed the divine liturgy in the church consecrated to St James, where we made a supplication for a righteous and peaceful condition of the entire world, especially our region, for the spiritual well-being and progress of our holy Hagiotaphite Brotherhood and of our pious Christian race.

In Arabic, the address may be read here: https://en.jerusalem-patriarchate.info/ar/2013/11/05/2808

The address was followed by brotherly embrace and kissing the hand of His Beatitude.

From the Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/tNc0mRoh9ok

Jerusalem, 30 October 2013.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning.

First, please allow us to thank our dear friend, Mrs. Sharon Rosen, for her kind invitation to address this conference. The subject of Holy Sites is, needless to say, of supreme importance to all the religious communities of the Holy Land, and it is crucial for us to gather together to discuss both the nature of Holy Sites and their meaning for us all today. We would also like to acknowledge and thank Rabbi David Rosen for moderating this part of our conference, as well as his instrumental work in the Universal Code on Holy Sites.

The Nature of Holy Sites

According to the Psalms, “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness. The world and those who dwell therein (Psalms 23:1).”

In the Christian tradition, holiness is the supreme attribute of God. Human beings share in God’s holiness insofar as we share in the divine life. “For it is written, be holy for I am holy.” We call those people “holy” who reflect the divine life, and we call places “holy” where that divine life breaks through into our temporal reality. The goal of true Christian living is precisely this: that by sharing in God’s life in the church we shall attain full union with God for eternity. Therefore holiness cannot be created by us; but we can nurture holiness where it is found, both in places and in people, and we can participate in this dynamic life.

For the Christian, too, a proper understanding of Holy Places flows naturally from our biblical theology of creation and the mystery of the divine economy of the Incarnation. We believe that God created all things from nothingess, and that all creation will be redeemed and restored by God to its original purpose. Therefore even geography has the potential to mediate the divine life. The Christian monastic tradition is especially sensitive to this, and monasteries have often been built in situations of particular beauty or starkness, as being the most propitious to the ascetic endeavor.

Our theology of the Divine Logos tells the Christian that because we believe that God became a human being in a particular time and place, and because we know from our experience that we may know the presence of God in this life, we have a keen appreciation for the holiness of places. In his own earthly life, our Lord Jesus Christ inhabited specific places, spilling his sacrificial blood, and so made not only human history but geography sanctified. These are precisely the places where, over centuries, the faithful have come to venerate and become an eye-witness to a person in our sacred history – that is, the Christian history of salvation. Holy Sites, therefore, are “the intersection of the timeless moment” where earth and heaven meet, and we are enabled to see a glimpse of eternity.

Holy Sites do not depend on our presence for their true nature to be evident. In other words, particular sites are holy whether there is a solitary pilgrim lost in silent prayer, or whether there are thousands gathered for a great religious feast. We in the Holy Land who are accustomed to great crowds of worshippers and pilgrims also know what it is like to be alone in the quietude of a Holy Place and experience the “gentle breeze” (aura) that is the voice of God.

These remarks naturally bring us to a difficult subject, which is the tendency of Holy Sites to be turned from pilgrimage destinations to mere tourist attractions and archeological sites. We who have been entrusted with the guardianship and service of the Holy Sites are indeed sensitive to this delicate issue. Of course we acknowledge that even some who call themselves faithful Christians visit Holy Sites more as observers than as worshippers, still, we are aware of the fact that Holy Sites are to be conducive to their primary purpose to be “intersections of the timeless moment.” To allow Holy Sites to become simply tourist attractions is to gravely undermine their true nature. In this regard, one of the great benefits of the “Universal Code on Holy Sites” is to support religious communities in safeguarding and sustaining Holy Sites around the world from this exact sort of misdirection.

“Holy Gifts for the Holy” and Others

Holy Sites are gifts both for the faithful who claim the site as well as for the entire human family beyond the bounds of a specific religious community or group for whom the site is sacred. We know this in the Holy Land, for pilgrims come to us from all over the world. For example, we welcome many pilgrims to sites that are distinctly Christian, but however, are equally sacred to other religious traditions of the Holy Land and beyond. All of us, we must admit, whether Jew, Christian, or Muslim, have observed that pilgrims from other traditions often treat our Holy Sites with more reverence than our own faithful do!

No doubt, Holy Sites testify to the power of the faith and hope of those who kneel there to worship, “as the deer pants for the water brooks” (Psalms 42). In fact, Holy Places possess layers of sanctity for those whose religious tradition and attachment is fully identified; sanctity that may escape even the most pious person from another tradition. “For what person knows a man’s thoughts except the spirit of the man which is in him?” (1 Cor. 2:11). For instance, the Church of the Anastasis (known as the Holy Sepulcher), which encompasses the crucifixion place and tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ, will have spiritual implications that are as much emotional and inexpressible for Christans as they may be explainable to others who are not necessarily Christian. Just as the Western Wall (known as the Kotel) will have spiritual implications for Jews, and the Haram as-Sherif (known as Al-Aqsa) will have spiritual implications for Muslims. There are levels of religious experience that we can only know in the heart, and for which words are inadequate.

And yet, it seems to us that here is a point of convergence for the faithful of various religious traditions. That is to say, as Christians, we may not be able to perceive what the Kotel means for the Jewish soul, as we also cannot perceive what Haram as-Sherif means for the Muslim heart. But we as Christians know what it is to feel divine intimacy at a Holy Site, just as Jews and Muslims also feel at Holy Sites. This experience can be for us one of deep unity, since we share a common humanity and a common destiny. Needless to say, it is in this respect that through the sanctity of the Holy Sites we find grounds for peaceful coexistence and mutual understanding.

One should not underestimate the undeniable power of holy places to be points of cohesion for religious identities and unique facilitators of unity, not just of the religious kind, but the kind that transcends national and human barriers. It is so often faith that unites people under their national identity and fosters solidarity between nations. One should bear in mind that this is a mighty stronghold against which globalization has not yet managed to influence.

Furthermore, it should be underscored that the unwillingness or failure to take into serious consideration the inherent sensitivities and concerns of various religious communities, both individual and collective, especially in our region and in particular the Holy Land, can turn the Holy Places into a metaphorical volcano that is imminently ready to explode with unpredictable consequences for both the religious and political realms.

We cannot conclude these brief remarks without the observation that we have not only Holy Sites in our region that are specific to our respective religions; we have Holy Sites that we share in common. It is one thing to have claims of exclusivity over one’s own tradition’s Holy Sites. It is quite another thing to have discreet access to the sanctity of those places.

It is here where we are presented with both a challenge and wisdom. Our human predicament is the desire to possess and to exclude, while the divine impulse is to give and include with discretion. The Sites that we hold in common are a challenge to the boundaries that have been fixed around our religious and cultural traditions. It should be said that we are not the possessors of sanctity which emanates from holy places; it is sanctity that possesses us. It is our commitment to the sanctity of the Holy Places that holds us in a divine encounter.

Thank you.

His Beatitude

THEOPHILOS III

Patriarch of Jerusalem

On Monday, the 15^th/28^th October 2013, at 10:30 am, Doxology was held in the All-Holy Church of the Resurrection on the occasion of the national holiday commemorating the 28^th of October 1940.

Doxology was held as prayer of gratitude to God for empowering and reinforcing our nation to liberate itself from the occupying forces of World War II, and as supplication for forgiveness of the sins and repose of the souls of those who fought for their faith and homeland and those who fell heroically for the national cause and achieved the great feat of national liberation.

Doxology was led by His Beatitude Theophilos, Patriarch of Jerusalem. Co-officiating were Hagiotaphite Prelates and Hieromonks, in the presence of the Greek Consul-General in Jerusalem, Mr Georgios Zacharoudiakis, members of the Greek parish in Jerusalem and visiting pilgrims from Greece.

After doxology, attendants proceeded, amid ringing bells, to the Patriarchates where the Greek Consul-General made a speech pertaining to the national holiday (see video). His Beatitude addressed those present in Greek, while f. Issa Musleh translated into Arabic. An excerpt from the address is cited here:

“The present-day commemoration of the epos of 1940 is invested with particular significance in our contemporary and technologically advanced era. This we say as new forms of Nazism and Fascism threaten humanity, especially so those nations that are infused with the principles of the Gospel, love of Christ and the healing spirit of His Church, namely our Eastern Orthodox Church”.

The procession was transmitted live on the Patriarchate’s Radio Station, see: en.jerusalem-patriarchate.info/2012/12/26/2443

From the Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/qdfbNhs3rhw

Dear brothers and sisters, once again we welcome you to the Holy Land as messengers of peace and reconciliation. For “Blessed are the peacemakers,”

May Our Lord, the Prince of the Incarnate Peace, guide your footsteps, enlighten your minds, and bless your mission”.

His Beatitude

THEOPHILOS III

Patriarch of Jerusalem

On Sunday the 7^th/20^th of October 2013, the Secretariat of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy, following its visit to the Holy Sepulcher, the Patriarchate and the Cave of the Nativity, and having completed its assignments in the city of Bethlehem, hosted dinner in honour of His Beatitude Theophilos, Our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem. His Beatitude was accompanied by Patriarchal Commissioner Isychios, the Most Reverend Metropolitan of Kapitolias; Elder Secretary-General Aristarchos, His Eminence the Archbishop of Constantina; Patriarchal Commissioner in Bethlehem, His Eminence Theophylaktos, Archbishop of Jordan; Archimandrite f. Theophanes, Substitute Chief of MISSIA, the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, and other Fathers. Dinner was held at the hotel Manger Square, near the Basilica of Bethlehem.

Invited to dinner were representatives of Churches, and high-ranked officials of the Palestinian Autonomy.

In the course of dinner, His Beatitude addressed those present in English. His speech may be read here: https://en.jerusalem-patriarchate.info/2013/10/20/3160

Further details on what was discussed during the visit of the Secretariat of the Inter-parliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy to the Patriarchate as well as during the aforementioned dinner, will be posted here in due course.

From the Secretariat-General

On the afternoon of Saturday the 6^th/19^th of October 2013, the Secretariat of the Inter-parliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy visited the Patriarchate.

The delegation, consisting of approximately thirty-five members, was received by His Beatitude Theophilos in the presence of Fathers of the Holy Sepulcher.

During the visit, Secretary General Mr Anastasios Nerantzis pointed out that the Inter-parliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy consists of distinguished members from twenty-five Orthodox countries, with Greece and Russia being the Assembly’s pillars and guarantors.

In his address to His Beatitude, the President of the General Assembly, Mr Sergei Popov said:

“We are especially pleased to visit the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the most ancient religious institution in the Holy Land. Its peacemaking, conciliatory and political role, since 451 AD onwards, we deeply appreciate, alongside the personal work of Your Beatitude”.

“We are also pleased over the fact that our paths cross, namely the path of the Patriarchate and the path of our organization, as we too aim and pursue the promotion of peace, change which is personal and social alike, and reconciliation. It is with emotion that we visit the Holy Sepulcher and the Patriarchate, in solidarity to its work in the flaring region of the Middle East and beyond”.

In His reply speech, His Beatitude expressed his joy over the fact that the Orthodox Church is today assigned with an important role in the life of humanity. Its foremost task is man’s healing, change, conciliation; it does not promote political interests or the objectives of globalization. This is the work of the Orthodox Church in its entirety, especially so of the Church of Jerusalem from where the Christian truth emerged as a message of peace, change and justice.

For its work the Patriarchate enjoys the respect and appreciation not only of the other Churches but also of political governments and religions in the area, Judaism and Islam. That is why the Patriarchate expects support and solidarity, not undermining. It maintains the sanctity of the All-Holy Sites of Pilgrimage which are not to be visited only as museums but also as functional spaces.

“The sites of pilgrimage are worthy of respect for Christians, Muslims and Jews”, His Beatitude pointed out.

“Political and religious groups claim exclusivity to Jerusalem. Jerusalem, as we all know, is internationally a corpus separatum. For us, Jerusalem is the spiritual capital of the whole world” said His Beatitude and went on to add:

“[…] For this reason the Patriarchate plays a role in the settlement of the political status of Jerusalem. That is why we have been trying to convince our Orthodox brothers to support the Patriarchate and not use it to achieve political goals. I mean that the Patriarchate has offered blood and money for Christians. We happily receive both Orthodox and non-Orthodox pilgrims because their presence attests to the fact that the sites of pilgrimage belong to the whole world. There is in Jerusalem the paradox of multicultural tension and at the same time peaceful coexistence. The Patriarchate is the only autocephalous and indigenous Church, hence in it meet the most extreme with the most moderate elements”.

At the end of his speech His Beatitude offered the President of the Inter-parliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy, Mr Sergei Popov, and Secretary General, Mr Anastasios Nerantzis, the “History of the Church of Jerusalem”, a depiction of the Nativity and icons of the Holy Sepulcher; He also offered Jerusalemite eulogias to all members of the Assembly.

Subsequently, the Inter-parliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy left for two-day assignments in the city of Bethlehem where they visited the Basilica of the Nativity.

From the Secretariat-General

httpv://youtu.be/U2xJriV–qw