1

MEETING OF REPRESENTATIVES OF EUROPEAN COUNTRIES AT THE PATRIARCHATE

At 11.00 a.m. on Friday, November 5th/18th 2022, a delegation of diplomatic representatives of about fifty European countries visited the Patriarchate and met with representatives of the local Christian Churches of Jerusalem on matters concerning the Christians of the Holy Land.

These distinguished diplomats, including the Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem Mr Vlioras, the Consul of Sweden, the Consul of France, the Consul of England and others, were addressed by H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos through the following address in English:

“ Your Excellences, Respected Members of the Diplomatic Corps,

Your Eminences,

Your Graces,

We welcome you to this gathering at the Patriarchate, and we wish once again to express our deep appreciation to you for the unfailing attention you give to our concerns and challenges here.

As you are fully aware, essential to our mission as the Churches and Christian Communities of the Holy Land is to ensure the Christian character of Jerusalem and the Holy Land. The responsibility of serving and stewarding our properties and the Holy Places has been laid on our shoulders, and we take this responsibility most seriously. As we are more and more the target of radical groups in our society, we rely on the help and support of diplomatic, government, and Church agencies to help us in this mission.

It is of vital importance to maintain the historic Status Quo. The Status Quo is the principal historic guarantee, acknowledged by all, that ensures the well-being of the Churches and the Christian communities of the Holy Land. The Status Quo also guarantees the protection of the Holy Places that are the common heritage of the three Abrahamic faiths.

So, we are grateful for your presence here, and we welcome this conversation.

We would now like to invite our colleagues among the bishops to say a few words.”

Each Head of the Church or representative of the Head of a Church expressed thanks for the meeting and informed about the problems faced by Christians.

Mr Austin Tiffany of the ICHOS Foundation also spoke about these problems.

Subsequently, these diplomatic representatives were offered a meal by the Patriarch and the Local Churches at the Imperial Hotel, next to Jaffa Gate, and after this meal they toured the hill of Holy Zion, where the Last Supper and Pentecost took place. The representatives also visited the Patriarchal School and the Cemeteries of the Christian Communities which have been constructed on the hill of Zion since the 13th century, and they were informed about the attacks of radical elements on these Holy Places.

His Beatitude sealed the meeting, saying that we Christians are not discouraged by the challenges of radical elements, as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the surest and most stable guarantee of the stability of maintaining the Status Quo of Jerusalem.

From Secretariat-General

 




THE RECEPTION OF THE PRESIDENT OF HUNGARY BY THE LEADERS OF THE LOCAL CHURCHES OF JERUSALEM

At noon on Thursday, November 4/17, 2022, the Leaders of the Local Churches of Jerusalem welcomed to a reception and a meal Her Excellency the President of Hungary Mrs Katalin Novák in the guest house of the Anglican Church in Jerusalem, which is led by the Most Reverend Hassam Naum. Mrs Katalin Novák was accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Defense and the Ambassador of Hungary in Ramallah, Mr Csaba Rada.

At this reception, H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos spoke on behalf of the Heads of the Churches through the following address in English:

Madame President,

Mr Ambassador,

Your Eminences,

Your Graces,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We welcome you warmly to the Holy City of Jerusalem and to our Patriarchate, and we wish to express our appreciation for your visit. Your presence here is a powerful and important sign of your recognition of and interest in the challenges that the Christian presence and the Churches are facing here.

We are thankful for the long-standing and good relationship between the Government of Hungary and our Patriarchate. We are especially grateful for the significant contribution that the Government of Hungary made to the restoration of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and we are also aware of the further help that the Government has made to another project under the sponsorship of the Franciscans in Cana of Galilee.

We are also appreciative of the ongoing concern that the Government of Hungary has for the well-being of the Christian presence in the Holy Land and in the broader region of the Middle East. All this practical and moral support means so much to the Christian community and to the leaders of the Churches, and we cannot emphasise too much the value that we place on this relationship between the Government and the people of Hungary and the Holy Land.

Our role as the Churches and Christian communities of the Holy Land is to serve and protect the Holy Places, among them the principal sites of the Church of the Nativity, which contains within it the site of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Church of the Resurrection, where the sites of the crucifixion and the resurrection are venerated. Our mission in the service of the Holy Places is to ensure the integrity of the religious character of the Holy Land in general, and the Christian character of this region in particular.

Recent years and recent events have seen a new and deeper unity of purpose as the Heads of the Churches have worked together. We are united in this common mission. In this regard, it is significant that we are meeting today here are Saint George’s, the home of the Anglican Archbishop, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank our brother, Archbishop Hosam, both for his hospitality and for his leadership.

As Heads of the Churches, we are doing our best at every level to help Christians remain in the Holy Land, and we are also making every effort to welcome pilgrims, who are once again flocking to the Holy Land in increasing numbers as we move into a post-pandemic world. Both those who live here as well as those who come here on pilgrimage, are close to our hearts, and as Church leaders we never forget the importance of this pastoral and spiritual mission.

We wish you success in your mission here, and we welcome you as a pilgrim. MAY God bless you as you move about the Holy Land, and as you carry out the duties of your high office on behalf of the people of Hungary.

As a token of our deep appreciation for the commitment of the Government of Hungary to the Holy Land and for all that you are doing here, on behalf of our colleagues and brothers, we wish to invest you with the Cross of the Holy Sepulchre.

Thank you.

On this visit, His Beatitude presented the President with a cross and the other Leaders also offered their gifts.

Her Excellency the President thanked for this honour and promised that her country’s interest in the Christians of the Holy Land will continue to be manifested.

The President will visit Holy Sepulchre on Saturday 6th/19th November 2022 in a private visit.

From Secretariat-General

 




THE FEAST OF THE TRANSLATION OF THE RELICS OF SAINT GEORGE THE GREAT MARTYR IN LYDDA

On Wednesday, November 3/16, 2022, the Patriarchate celebrated the feast of the glorious great martyr George the Trophy-bearer in Lydda, at his holy church and tomb.

On this day, the Church does not celebrate the memory of his martyrdom, which took place in Rome under Diocletian, but the memory of the repatriation, that is, the transfer of his relics from Rome to Lydda, his mother’s hometown, in accordance with his command to his servant before his martyrdom.

The holy relic was indeed brought back and buried in Lydda. When in the meantime piety shone forth, Saint Helen built a temple around the Saint’s tomb and its consecration took place. Today, on the 3rd of November, the Church celebrates the feast of the transfer of the relics and the consecration of the Church in Lydda, while his martyrdom is celebrated on the 23rd of April.

At the celebration in honour of this event, H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos officiated the Divine Liturgy, with the co-celebration of their Eminences the Archbishops, Damascene of Yaffo, Aristarchos of Constantina and Philoumenos of Pella and many Priests, the Elder Kamarasis Archimandrite Nectarios, the Archimandrites Ieronymos, Nifon, Artemios and Andreas. The chanting was delivered by the Byzantine choir of the Arab-speaking community of Lydda, in the presence of the representative of the Greek Embassy to Tel Aviv Mr Panagiotis Mitropoulos, the representative of the Cypriot Embassy to Tel Aviv Mrs Louiza Varakla, the representative of the Georgian Embassy to Tel Aviv Mr Lasa and the Scouts and representatives of the Franciscan, Anglican and Druze Churches, and a prayerful congregation, pilgrims from Greece, Romania and localities from Galilee and the occupied territories.

His Beatitude addressed this congregation before the Holy Communion with the following Sermon:

“O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles” (Psalm 43:3) the psalmist proclaims.

Beloved brethren in Christ,

Reverend Christians and pilgrims

The joyful feast commemorating the consecration of this magnificent Church dedicated to Saint George the Great Martyr in your biblical town of Lydda has gathered us all to glorify in Eucharist the Holy God, Who has glorified His Great Martyr.

Having been brought up with the moral virtues and principles of the Christian faith by his pious parents, his Cappadocian father and Palestinian mother, George “became shrewd and brilliant in wars” according to his biographer. For this reason, he was promoted to the highest bodies of the Roman army by the emperor Diocletian.

Inspired by David’s words “send out thy light and thy truth”, as well as of those of the Lord, “fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28), Christ’s friend George, presented himself before Diocletian and preached boldly the mystery of the divine reverence, saying that Christ is God and the Son of God. This confession of the Christian faith was sealed by his martyr’s death.

And his martyr’s death made George known worldwide, where myriads of people honorary bear his name, while a multitude of Churches has been dedicated to him. Among those Churches, the present one is distinguished, in your historical town of Lydda, which was constructed by the God-crowned and great King Constantine, and where the Saint’s relics have been transferred and buried.

This God-pleasing event of the consecration of Saint George’s Church and the deposition of his holy relics we celebrated festively today. It is noteworthy that the consecration of a house of worship of God refers to Christ’s renewal of the old man, which is done by the gift of the Holy Spirit in the sacrament of baptism, as Saint Paul preaches: “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defiles the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1 Cor. 3:16-17). And “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (1 Cor. 6:19). “Be renewed and discarding the old man, live in newness of life” Saint Gregory the Theologian says.

This means, my dear brethren, that God, namely the Holy Spirit, does not dwell in hand-made temples, but in the human body, in the heart of man. Let us hear the Evangelist Luke saying in the Acts of the Apostles, “But Solomon built him a house. Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? Hath not my hand made all these things?” (Acts 7:47-50).

Moreover, in his Epistle to the Ephesians, Saint Paul prays that Christ may dwell in their hearts through prayer. “For this cause, I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ… That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith” (Eph. 3:14-17).

The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ is the One Who dwelt in George’s heart and illumined his mind and also renewed his inner man, according to the example of the King-prophet David who says: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).

Having in him the fulness of faith and the Holy Spirit, the brave George did not hesitate in any way before the Roman Emperor Diocletian and his men to declare himself a Christian and suffer the martyr’s death for the truth of Christ. “For longing conquered nature, persuading the lover to pass through death to the Beloved, even Christ God, the Saviour of our souls” (Glory of praises) his hymnographer says.

Let us entreat George the trophy-bearer, whom we honour today in the consecration anniversary of the Church dedicated to him, that by his intercessions and those of the Ever-Virgin Mary the Mother of God, we may receive the renewal of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. Amen! Many happy returns!”

A reception followed and at noon a meal was hosted by the Hegoumen Archimandrite Markellos and the Council of the Community.

From Secretariat-General




PASTORAL VISIT OF HIS BEATITUDE TO BEIT JALA

 At noon on Sunday, October 31/ November 13, 2022, His Beatitude our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos made a pastoral visit to our Arabic-speaking Greek Orthodox Community in the city of Beit Jala.

First of all, His Beatitude visited the building belonging to the Hegoumen of the Monastery, which in the past was used as an Elementary School and now has been renovated with the sponsorship of the Palestinian Authority, to function as a kindergarten and as a space for the catechetical school.

Subsequently, His Beatitude visited the very important housing project of the Patriarchate, which was started and continues on land owned by the Patriarchate in Beit Jala, which will house 450 families in cooperation with the Jamaiye / Community Council of Beit Jala and which offers the possibility of housing relief to the flock of Beit Jala and laid the foundation stone in the presence of the President of the Supreme Palestinian Ecclesiastical Committee Mr Ramzi Khouri and other representatives of the Palestinian Authority, the Hegoumen of Beit Jala Archimandrite Ignatios and the Priests Yusef, Pavlos and Elias.

His Beatitude underlined the offering of the Patriarchate to the flock through this work in His following address: (to be posted soon).

The importance of this project was also underlined by Mr Ramzi Khouri, greeting on behalf of the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mr Abu Mazen, for the creation of the housing project in the Shepherds’ Village / Beit-Sahour, for the present project and for a similar housing project to be developed in Bethlehem.

Honourable distinctions – plaques were awarded to His Beatitude, Mr Ramzi Khouri and all those who contributed to the success of this project.

From Secretariat-General




THE FEAST OF THE HOLY GREAT MARTYR DEMETRIUS THE MYRRH-STREAMER IN OLD NABLUS

On Friday, October 29 / November 11, 2022, the Patriarchate celebrated with the transfer of the feast of the holy great martyr Demetrius the myrrh-streamer at his Holy Church, downtown the Old City of Naples, which is used by the Arabic-speaking Community for their worshipping needs.

The Divine Liturgy in honour of Saint Demetrius was presided over by H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos, with the co-celebration of their Eminences, Metropolitan Kyriakos of Nazareth and Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina, the Hegoumen of Jacob’s well Archimandrite Ioustinos, the Head of this Community, Archimandrite Leontios and Priest Lazarus from Nazareth. The chanting was delivered by the choir of this parish and the members of this Community participated in devotion.

Before the Holy Communion His Beatitude delivered the following Sermon:

“O Martyr Demetrius, thou great and glorious Saint, thy shining memorial hath cheered the whole Church of Christ while gathering all today worthily to hymn thee as a valorous soldier and destroyer of the foes, O godly-wise victor. Hence, save us from temptations, O Saint, by thine all-holy prayers”, the hymnographer of the Church proclaims (Matins, sessional Hymn1).

Beloved brothers in Christ,

Dear Christians,

The grace of the Holy Spirit has brought us all together today in the name of the Holy Great Martyr Dimitrios, in this historic place of Nablus, to celebrate his holy memory.

The miracle-working and myrrh-streamer Demetrius came from the city of Thessalonica and was distinguished by his piety and love for Christ. His divine zeal made him not only a disciple of Christ but also a wise teacher of the Christian and redeeming faith. This, on the other hand, was proven by his martyrdom, which he suffered under the Roman emperors, Diocletian and Maximian in the 3rd AD. Century.

The office of the teacher of Demetrius is particularly emphasized by the Holy Father of the Church Gregory of Palamas, who calls Demetrius “the great wonder of the world, the great beauty of the Church, … the miracle worker and myrrh-streamer Demetrius”.

Indeed, Demetrius was descended from an aristocratic family of Thessalonica, from which he received a Christian education from a young age, which made him a teacher of godly piety. This divine piety, which he made a way of life, was derived from the faithful study of the Holy Bible, listening to the prayerful words of the psalm: “Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments” (Psalm 119:66) and simply: teach me with common sense and science (so that I can distinguish good from evil, that is, show me the usefulness, ability of knowledge and discrimination. Saint Paul exhorts parents to this, saying: “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4).

Saint Demetrius showed a special interest in the education of young people in Christ. That is why he had formed a circle of young people, engaged in the study and interpretation of the Holy Scriptures. Among the young men was also his co-martyr, Nestor, who, before duelling with the killer Lyaeus, received the blessing of his teacher Demetrius: “So he came to the stage, saw Maximian, and said: “God of Demetrius help me” and he killed the arrogant Lyaeus. And immediately Maximian ordered that Saint Demetrius should be stabbed with spears, as the cause of the massacre of Lyaeus, and Saint Nestor should be put to the same sword” according to his Synaxarist [= biographer].

The martyrdom of both Saints Demetrius and Nestor is expressed clearly by the hymn of the Church: “A great champion hath the whole world found thee to be when in grave perils? for thou dost put to fight the heathen, O victorious one. As thou didst humble Lyaeus’ arrogance and gavest boldness to Nestor in the stadium, thus, O holy great martyr Demetrius, do thou entreat Christ God that we be granted great mercy” (Apolytikion).

Saint Demetrius became not only the patron saint of Thessalonica, but the saint of the world, and this is because through his preaching and martyrdom for Christ’s death he destroyed, condemned in deed and theory the nations, i.e. the religion of the idolaters.

In other words, the Martyr Demetrius listened to the order of our Lord Jesus Christ: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16), and became light in the darkness of the idolatry of the world of his time. This is why the Lord says to him: “O Martyr Demetrius, thou boast of contest for Christ, apparelled with Him, thou foughtest as most mighty in war defeating the strengthless foe [namely the ruler of the darkness of this age] (cf. Ephesians 6:12); for in Christ didst thou destroy the fraud of the lawless and didst train the faithful to defend true religion” (Matins, sessional hymn 2, Glory).

Through his personality enlightened by the Holy Spirit, Demetrius, full of grace, contributed to the abolition of the devil’s fallacy, thus becoming “infallible”, that is, a teacher of believers in the mystery of piety, in the mystery of the divine providence of the Incarnation of the Son and Word of God, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed with “the bath of immortality and the garment of incorruption”, Saint Demetrius preached the truth, teaching and saying through the mouth of Saint Paul: “Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto? whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting” (1 Tim. 6:16). And more simply: God who has immortal life and who dwells in light, in whom no one can draw near, and the God whom none of the people had seen, nor can they see Him. “If the dwelling is inaccessible, how much more so is the One Who dwells therein”, says Zigavinos.

This testimony of “the true and unattainable light of Christ” is preached and confessed by his incorruptible myrrh-exuding holy relic, which is kept and honoured in his magnificent temple in Thessalonica.

To this great martyr of the truth of Christ and the teacher and infallible of the mystery of piety, Demetrius the myrrh-streamer, let us, who honour his memory, pray, and after the hymnographer, we say: “Martyr of Christ Demetrius, as by God’s grace aforetime thou didst destroy Lyaeus’scorn, his brutish pride and vaunting, and in the stadium gavest strength to the valiant Nestor by the great power of the Cross, O victorious athlete, so also now ever strengthen me by thine intercessions against the demons’ treachery and soul-corrupting passions” (Exapostilarion). Amen. Many happy returns!” 

 After the Divine Liturgy, there was a reception and a meal was offered at noon.

From Secretariat-General




THE FEAST OF SAINT JAMES THE BROTHER OF THE GOD AT THE PATRIARCHATE

On Saturday, October 23 / November 5, 2022, the Feast of the Holy Glorious Apostle James the Brother of God was celebrated by the Patriarchate, which is the Enthronement Feast of the Patriarchate, as Saint James was the first Bishop of the Church of Jerusalem.

On this feast, the Church of Jerusalem commemorates that Saint James was ordained its bishop by the Lord and that he presided over the First Apostolic Synod of Jerusalem, in the year 49 AD. He opened the doors of the Church to the nations and left as a legacy to the Church his Catholic letter in the New Testament and his martyrdom. Saint James confessed Jesus as the Christ and for this, the rulers of the Jews pushed him down from the wing of the Temple in the year 62 AD and killed him.

In his memory, evening Vespers were held in his Cathedral, the one between the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Patriarchate, in which H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos presided. The Divine Liturgy in the morning was also officiated by H.H.B. with concelebrants their Eminences; Metropolitan Kyriakos of Nazareth, Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Isychios of Kapitolias and the Archbishops; Arisarchos of Constantina, Theodosios of Sebasteia, the Elder Kamarasis Archimandrite Nectarios, the ministering Priests of the Cathedral, Fr Charalambos Bandour and Fr George Baramki, along with Priests from other Orthodox Churches. The chanting was delivered by Hierodeacon Simeon with the help of the Patriarchal School of Zion students in Greek and the Cathedral choir under Mr Rimon Kamar in Arabic, in the presence of the Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem Mr Evangelos Vlioras and in the participation in prayer of many believers from the members of the parish of Saint James and pilgrims from Greece, Russia and Romania.

Before the Holy Communion, His Beatitude delivered the following Sermon:

“Enlightened with the fiery brightness of the Divine Spirit, thou didst prove to be a divine zealot of piety, O James, Brother of God. Wherefore, He that in His compassion received thee as a brother, clothed thee like Aaron of old, but with raiment more venerable than that of the priesthood of the Law. O thou who art glorious among the Apostles, entreat Christ that our souls be saved” the hymnographer of the Church proclaims (Minaion, Glory of praises).

Beloved Brethren in Christ,

Reverend Christians and pilgrims

The grace of the Holy Spirit has gathered us all, the people of godly mind, to celebrate in Eucharist and Doxology the sacred commemoration of the Brother and disciple of the Lord, James the Just, who became the first Hierarch of the Church of Jerusalem.

Indeed, Saint James was established as a zealot or reverence by the enlightening power of the Holy Spirit, namely a faithful disciple of Christ and preacher of the mystery of the Divine Providence, the foretold mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, according to the Prophets of the Law of Moses.

This is clearly expressed in his Catholic Epistle to the twelve tribes of the Christian Jews that were dispersed around the nations, where he writes: “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting” (James 1:1).

The purpose of this Letter of Apostle James was the comfort of those suffering various trials and the control of abuses, the redress of deviations and “the form of sound words” (2 Tim. 1:13) of the Christian doctrine and the redeeming true faith, which is no other than the wisdom that is from above. “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy” (James 3:17). [In simple words, the wisdom that is given by God, is firstly pure from every impure incentive, then it is peaceful, indulgent and sympathetic to the ignorance and imperfection of others, willing to obey and free from stubbornness, full of mercy and good works, free from the hesitations of doubt, and alien to hypocrisy].

According to Ecumenios the interpreter, “the wisdom from above” (cf. James 3:17) is “pure and taintless, notwithstanding any of the carnal things”, in no way tolerating the carnal mindset, because it operates under the light of the power of the Holy Spirit, through Whom the heart of man is made pure. For this reason, Saint James invokes the power of prayer saying “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms” (James 5:13).

To confirm this, he refers to the example of the Prophet Elijah saying, “Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit” (James 5:17-18).

The Lord says to King Solomon: “And the Lord said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there forever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually” (3 Kings 9:3).

“In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Phil. 4:6), Saint Paul advises. And our Lord Jesus Christ, Who showed us the manner of prayer, says: “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Matt. 21:22).

And Saint James, who for his excessive righteousness was called “the Just”, had had his knees hardened like those of a camel because he was unceasingly praying on his knees, “worshipping God and asking for the remission of the sins of the people”.

Full of righteousness and piety, the according to the flesh relative of Jesus Christ, he was ordained the first Bishop of Jerusalem by the Lord Himself and was the first one to write the Divine Liturgy. During the first Synod of the Apostles and Presbyters in Jerusalem (Acts 15:6), Saint James stands out, having the leading role in the Church. His Priestly ministry and excellent apostolic work were sealed by his martyr’s blood. During Passover’s feast, he was called to testify before the people about Christ, and he confessed that Jesus is the Son of Man and sits at the right of God’s greatness.

In his Letter to the Galatians, Saint Paul calls James the Just “a pillar” of the Church (Gal. 2:9). He does so, due to James’ leading status, the spiritual authority of the interpretation of the teaching of Christ, on the basis of which the Christian community was organized in the Holy Land and in Jerusalem. It is also noteworthy that James calls himself a servant of Christ: “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” (James 1:1). And according to Saint Paul, “For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise, also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant” (1 Cor. 7:22).

This very phrase of Saint James “a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ” is embodied and witnessed by the Christian Community throughout the centuries, knowingly and consciously, that is, members of the living body of the local Church of Jerusalem. This very freedom in Christ from the bondage of corruption (Romans 8:21) is also testified today by the festive commemoration of the Holy Glorious Apostle James the Brother of God and the first Hierarch of Jerusalem.

Let us, therefore, say along with the hymnographer, “Distinguished among the Apostles as the brother and successor of Christ the Chief Shepherd, thou didst love death for His sake, and wast not ashamed of martyrdom, O glorious James. Entreat Him unceasingly that our souls be saved” (Vespers, aposticha Glory). Amen! Many Happy Returns!”

The Divine Liturgy was followed by the ascent to the roofs of Saint Constantine, where the Bishops were waiting and escorted His Beatitude to the Patriarchate, passing through the Gate of the Central Monastery, and receiving the small loaves of bread as a blessing of the Patriarchate’s bakery from the baker Gerontissa Seraphima.

At the Patriarchate’s Main Hall, His Beatitude addressed those present with the following address:

“Thou didst set forth the law of life for the Church of Christ, ordaining and proclaiming it in the life-creating Spirit” O most wise James, the hymnographer of the Church proclaims (Matins, Ode 3, Troparion 3).

Your Excellency Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem Mr Evangelos Vlioras,

Reverend Holy Fathers and Brethren,

Reverend Christians and pilgrims,

Today the Holy Church of Jerusalem celebrates the sacred commemoration of the Holy Hieromartyr and Apostle James the Brother of God, who became the first Bishop of Jerusalem, and was ordained by the Lord Himself, as his hymnographer clearly says: “The Word of God, the Father’s Only-begotten, came down and dwelt here in our midst in these last days. He then appointed thee as the first shepherd of all-holy Jerusalem, and He made thee her teacher and a faithful steward of lofty spiritual mysteries. For this cause, as is meet, O wondrous James, O blest Apostle, we all praise and honour thee” (Kontakion).

For this reason, we went to the Cathedral dedicated to him, which is adjacent to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where we celebrated the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy, thanking God Who gave us a Just Hierarch and Shepherd as well as a faithful steward of the spiritual sacraments of the Church.

Saint James commemoration is of particular importance for the Church of Jerusalem, as it refers to the God-founded and God-man institution of hers; “every institution is a work of its legislator”, Saint Dionysios the Areopagite says. Referring to the Episcopal office of Christ, Saint Paul says: “We have such a high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man” (Hebrews 8:1-2).

The leader of “this true tabernacle” namely of the Church, the “apostle and great high priest of our faith, Jesus Christ” (cf. Hebrews 3:1-2) but also the “Chief Shepherd” (1 Peter 5:4), the Holy and Just James, along with his other apostles and disciples. The leading status of the Brother of God as the High Priest and Apostle of the Mother of Churches was strengthened at the first apostolic synod (AD 49) in Jerusalem, which he also led.

This Holy and Apostolic Synod which was inspired by the Holy Spirit under the presidency of Saint James established the apostolic institution of the Church, namely the apostolic succession of its Shepherds and founded its canonical order. The apostolic succession and the canonical order constitute the unity of the Church in the Holy Spirit. That is why Saint Paul entreats, “Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3). And the Hieromartyr James advises: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you… Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up” (James 4:7,10).

The Holy Church of Jerusalem boasts in the Lord today for its first Hierarch, “made a minister, according to the dispensation of God” (cf, Col. 1:25) for our sakes. Therefore, we cry out loud along with the hymnographer: “Distinguished among the Apostles as the brother and successor of Christ the Chief Shepherd, thou didst love death for His sake, and wast not ashamed of martyrdom, O glorious James. Entreat Him unceasingly that our souls be saved” (Vespers, aposticha Glory). Amen! Many Happy Returns!”

From Secretariat-General




THE ANNIVERSARY OF OCTOBER 28, 1940 AT THE PATRIARCHATE

On Friday, October 15/28, 2022, the national anniversary of October 28, 1940, was celebrated by the Patriarchate.

On this day at around 10.30 a.m., a Doxology was held in the Catholicon of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

This Doxology was held as a thanksgiving to God for His help to our nation to repel and defeat the German Nazi and Italian Fascist forces during the war of 1944-1945, as a prayer for the repose of the fathers who fought and fell heroically in this fight.

The doxology was presided over by H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos, of the Holy Sepulchre High Priests and Hieromonks and deacons co-ministering with Him and of the Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem, Mr Evangelos Vlioras and of the staff of the Greek Consulate General, Holy Sepulchre monks, members of the Greek Embassy and the Arab-speaking flock of the Patriarchate.

After the Doxology, a reception followed in the Patriarchate.

Then His Beatitude spoke through the following address in Greek:

His Excellency Consul General of Greece Mr Evangelos Vlioras,

Dear Holy Fathers and Brothers,

Reverend Christians and pilgrims,

The celebration of the anniversary of October 28, 1940, is a sacred commemoration of the historical indelible event of those who defended the honour, freedom, and national territorial integrity of our fallen fathers and brothers against the arrogant invasion of Fascism and the military forces of Fascism.

The group and cold-blooded executions of our innocent fellow human beings, men and women and children, but also the concentration camps and the systematic genocide of hundreds, thousands of people are the undeniable testimonies of the Nazis possessed by the diabolical hatred. “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer”, (1 John 3:15), says Saint John the Theologian.

Hence, Our Mediocrity, accompanied by the honourable members of our Venerable Hagiotaphite Brotherhood as well as pious people along with the visiting pilgrims, went to the Most Holy Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where we offered thanksgiving praise “to the Holy Triune God” Who has given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Cf. 1 Cor 15,57).

Moreover, we prayed for eternal memory and blessed repose of the souls of those who fought heroically and of those who were martyred for the faith and the country of our blessed race and nation.

The blasphemy against the human person, the apparent insanity, the pride and the stupidity of the Nazis, these evil things, the ones that caused the Second World War, unfortunately, did not achieve anything, as the psalmist also says: “The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one” (Ps. 14, 2-3).

We say this because the demonstrated self-sacrifice of the Greek fighters in the field of frontal combat against the unrepentant invaders on the tops of the wild mountains of Northern Epirus was burning with the fire of love for the country and freedom. The generative cause of the admirable heroism of the Greeks was faith in God and the power of prayer.

The Greek-Christian and Greek-Orthodox mindset, which is highlighted today by the solemn anniversary of October 28, 1940, was admired by the nations and peoples of the earth. And this is because our enemies were “brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright” (Cf. Psalm 19:9).

The epic of 1940 was recognized internationally as a prominent event in world history on the one hand and a distinguished station in the historical course of the Greek Nation on the other. The epic of 1940 demonstrated boldly that “God is not unjust”, (Heb. 6-10) and “his righteousness endures forever” (2 Cor. 9,9).

Today humanity is threatened by the veiled form of Nazism and Fascism and we are referring to the violent invasion of the ideology of the so-called “New Order of things”, where an international political and economic ruler is a group of “crooked and perverse” (Phil. 2:15) people – according to Paul – they impose and legitimize their morbid self-religion in the name of so-called human rights. There is no lack of those who alter the historical truth, thus reducing the moral value of the ideals, which highlighted the unrepeatable epic of 1940.

Therefore, we are called to preserve the epic of 1940 as a sacred tradition for the coming generations, listening to the order of the wise Paul saying: “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong” (1 Cor. 16,13). This legacy of our Orthodox faith and sacred tradition as well as cultural and historical heritage was sealed by the sacrificial blood of the martyrs and freedom fighters, but also by the unsullied ethnic Rum-Orthodox sentiment of the people against the powerful German military forces.

In conclusion, let us cry out loud;

Long live the “No” of October 28, 1940!

Long live the pious Nation of the Romans!

Long live Greece!

Long live our Venerable Hagiotaphite Brotherhood!”

The Consul General of Greece responded to His Beatitude’s Message as follows:

“Your Beatitude,

Venerable High Priests,

Dear Fathers,

Dear children,

Colleagues,

Ladies and gentlemen,

With national pride, Greeks everywhere, today we celebrate the anniversary of October 28, 1940, a focal point of memory and honour for one of the most glorious moments of our modern history that encapsulates the memories, experiences and values that have always guided our national life.

Today’s anniversary of October 28, 1940, 82 years since that glorious moment that is a point of reference for Hellenism everywhere, gives us the opportunity to recall in our thoughts and in our hearts the generation of men, women and children who filled the collective our history with countless pages of heroism, self-denial and self-sacrifice.

In the mountains of Epirus, in the ravines of Albania, in the fortresses of Macedonia, in the waters of the Aegean, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, in the Middle East, in occupied Greece, in all the “places where there were no daily and school days”, according to Odysseus Elytis, the Greeks, gave everything they had most precious to preserve our national independence and integrity, timeless ideals of all the struggles of the Nation from 1821, until today.

Giorgos Seferis, seconded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Directorate of Foreign Press at the competent deputy ministry, recorded in his diary that historic day, as follows: “I fell asleep at two in the morning, reading Makrigiannis. At half past three, a voice on the phone woke me up: “We are at war.” Nothing else, the world had changed. The dawn, which a little later I saw breaking behind Hymettos, was another dawn: unknown. She is still waiting where I left her. I don’t know how long he will wait, but I know he will bring the great noon.”

And the “great noon” united and brought together the whole of Greece. Organizations, bodies, spiritual institutions, the Church, ordinary citizens, old people, women, and children, all participate directly in the titanic effort to strengthen the front. As the historian Marina Petraki writes: “with enthusiasm and passion, stirred by the flags, the war marches and the voice of the announcer on the radio, [the Greeks] dress in khaki and start for the front as if going to a celebration. And it was indeed a celebration. The most brilliant celebration of modern Greek history. Although they had five days to report, eighty per cent showed up on the first day.”

The Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Chrysanthos, in his message on October 28, 1940, encourages the Greeks, reminding them of the power of faith and prayer.

“The Church believes that the children of the Motherland, obeying the will of Her and God, will hasten with one soul and heart to fight for altars and hearths and for Freedom and honour and will thus continue the uninterrupted for centuries series of honourable and glorious struggles [….] “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” [Matt. 10-28]. Let’s cast our care on the Lord and He will be a helper and a perceiver in the defence against the unjust attack of the enemies. These in chariots and these on horses, and we in the name of the Lord God and in bravery and courage are magnified.”

The atmosphere of war creates an unprecedented rivalry, which motivates and captivates a huge army of civilians in the rear, fighting alongside the armed force of the front line, creating an unrepeatable moment in Greek History.

To everyone, the known and the unknown, soldiers and civilians, who defended our national dignity with heroism, self-denial, self-sacrifice and bravery during the war and later, during the years of cruel occupation, until the liberation of Greece, we reverently bend the knee.

As Greeks who have the privilege and responsibility to leave or serve in the Holy Land, we recall, today, with emotion, in our memory, the eighty fallen that Greece left on these soils, during the Second World War, in Cemeteries of Haifa, Ramle and Gaza City.

Akir Airport, near the city of Ramle, was also the cradle for the rebirth of our Air Force in the Middle East in September 1941.

After all, we should not forget that when the fortunes of the War appeared negative for the Allied Struggle, Jerusalem and the Consulate General of the Motherland in this city were, from June to August 1942, the seat of the Government of Free Greece, with the blessed Patriarch Timotheus, the Hagiotaphite Brotherhood and the Hellenism of the city, the majority of them refugees from Asia Minor, to offer all possible help to the Vice-President of the Government Panagiotis Kanellopoulos, to the members of the Government, to the officers and staff of our Armed Forces, to service agents, including Giorgos Seferis and to refugees, from Alexandria and Cairo, including the writer Stratis Tsirkas.

The national anniversary of October 28 does not merely testify to a historical event but reveals our collective identity based on universal values: democracy, love of freedom, national dignity, commitment to the performance of duty and awareness of the debt towards History.

Your Beatitude,

Venerable High Priests,

Dear Fathers,

Dear children,

Colleagues,

Ladies and gentlemen,

In difficult and particularly conflicting times, the Venerable Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Hagiotaphite Brotherhood bear witness to and reinforce the Resurrection Message and the timelessness of our Orthodox Faith and the presence of Hellenism in the Holy Land.

The Patriarchate of Jerusalem, as the pre-eminent exponent of the Orthodox faith and the Greek tradition, remains, throughout the centuries, a living example of God-bearing life, faith and hope and a guardian of our moral and spiritual values.

In our age, as in any other, national unity and vigilance, adherence to the moral and spiritual values of our Orthodox faith and the ideals of freedom and democracy, are essential resources for our effective response to circumstances.

The anniversary of October 28, 1940, reminds us that the unity and the strong will of the Greek people to preserve their freedom and national pride determined the victorious outcome of this struggle.

With these thoughts in mind, I invite everyone to exclaim:

Long live October 28, 1940!

Long live Greece!”

In the afternoon of the same day, a school ceremony will take place in the Patriarchal School on the hill of Zion.

From Secretariat-General

 




THE REPATRIATION OF THE RELICS OF SAINT SAVVA THE SANCTIFIED

On Wednesday, October 13/26, 2022, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem celebrated the feast of the repatriation of the relics of our Holy Father Savva the Sanctified.

On this holiday, the Church of Jerusalem celebrates the fact that the holy relic of Saint Savva, preserved incorruptible and intact to this day, was taken by the Crusaders to Venice and was returned under the authority of the Roman Church to the Patriarchate of Jerusalem on October 26, 13 1965. A solemn reception was then held for the holy relic at Jaffa Gate. After this, it was placed for veneration at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for a week and then returned to the place where it belonged, the Lavra, which Saint Savva founded, for the sanctification and help of its monks and pilgrims.

On the eve of the feast, Vespers was officiated by His Eminence, Metropolitan Joachim of Helenoupolis, and at night there was an all-night vigil, officiated by H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos. Co-celebrants to His Beatitude were their Eminences, Metropolitan Joachim of Helenoupolis, the Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina, along with Hagiotaphite Hieromonks and Arab-speaking Priests. The chanting was delivered by Archimandrite Antypas from Mount Athos with Hierodeacon Simeon and his helpers in Greek on the right and Archimandrite Philotheos and his choir in Arabic on the left, at the presence of pilgrims from Greece, Romania and from Bethlehem, Beit Jala and Beit Sahour.

Before the Holy Communion His Beatitude delivered the following Sermon:

“Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious” (Ps 66,1-2) the psalmist proclaims.

Reverend Holy Fathers and Brethren,

Noble Christians and pilgrims

The grace of our Holy Father Savva the Sanctified has gathered us all in his holy Lavra to celebrate the great event of the repatriation of his holy relics.

Our Father Savva became a citizen of the desert and “an angel in flesh” because he applied in both theory and action the urging words of Saint Paul: “ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory” (Col. 3, 1-4).

Having as a foundation Paul’s healthy words, “seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Col. 3, 1-2), Saint Savva showed Godly zeal and self-denial on the one hand, and on the other, he excelled among his co-ascetics the monks, because he was “strengthened with might by [God’s] Spirit in the inner man” (ref. Ephes. 3,16).

In addition, Saint Savva was called “sanctified” because he sought the sanctification according to the saying “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12,14). “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification (1 Thess. 4,3), Saint Paul preaches again.

Moreover, our Lord Jesus Christ Himself says in His prayer to God the Father about His disciples and those who believe and follow Him: “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17,17). Here the truth is Christ’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit. “The Spirit is the truth” according to the voice of John the Evangelist (1 John 5,6), Saint Cyril of Alexandria interprets.

In the reply of the Holy Church Fathers about what the sanctification of those who love God means, Saint Basil the Great says: “Sanctification means to devote ourselves to the Holy God wholeheartedly and without separation at all times, through the care and study of the things pleasing to Him”. And Saint Gregory the Theologian says: “Sanctification is living along with God”.

In other words, without the sanctification by the power of the Holy Spirit, man is unable to see God, namely the unapproachable light. “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8,12), the Lord says. And the Saint’s hymnographer says that the God-bearing father was seen from his early infancy to be a sanctified vessel, our Father and a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.

Indeed, my dear brethren, our Father Savva was seen and appeared to be a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. Behold the true testimony and the visible proof before our eyes, his incorrupt and fragrant full body of his relics. Behold the light, the true light, the light of life “Thou art near, O Lord; and all thy commandments are truth” (Ps. 119,151), David chants. “Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off?” the Prophet Jeremiah announces (Jeremiah 23,23).

With today’s feast of the repatriation of Saint Savva’s relics from Venice of Italy at the place of his monastic striving, all of us are called to draw nigh to God, because He is a God that is near us. The way of our approaching the good God and friend of man is shown to us by Saint Savva the sanctified through the words of Saint Paul “dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor. 7,1). Many happy returns.”

After the Dismissal of the Divine Liturgy, a monastic meal followed.

Giving thanks to God, His Beatitude received the thanks of the Fathers of Saint Savva’s Lavra and returned to Jerusalem.

From SecretariatGeneral




THE FEAST OF THE UNIVERSAL EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS AT THE PATRIARCHATE

On Tuesday, September 14/27, 2022, the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross was celebrated by the Patriarchate.

On this holiday, the Church has primarily the commemoration of the Lord Jesus Christ raised on the Cross for our salvation, but also the memory of the elevation of the wood of the cross, when it was found under Saint Helen and raised by the Archbishop of Jerusalem Makarios in sight and worship of the pilgrims and thousands of pilgrims for the Consecration ceremony of the Church of the Resurrection.

This world-historical event was celebrated with Vespers in the evening and with a Divine Liturgy on the morning of the feast in the Catholicon of the Church of the Resurrection.

Great Vespers and the Divine Liturgy were officiated by H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos. Co-celebrants to His Beatitude for the Divine Liturgy were their Eminences; the Metropolitans Isychios of Kapitolias and Timotheos of Bosra, Panteleimon of Xanthi and Peritheorion – visiting from Greece –, Panteleimon of Maronia and Komotini, the Archbishops, Theophanes of Gerassa, Aristarchos of Constantina, Methodios of Tabor, Theodosios of Sebasteia, Demetrios of Lydda, Nectarios of Anthedona, Bishop Parthenios from the Church of Achrida, the Elder Kamarasis Archimandrite Nectarios, the ministering Priest of the Russian speaking Community of the Patriarchate in Ein Karem Archimandrite Nikolai and Ioannis from the Church of Romania and other priests from many Orthodox countries.

The chanting was delivered by Hierodeacon Simeon and Mr Gotsopoulos with the Patriarchal School students. Both services were attended by the Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem Mr Evangelos Vlioras and a very large congregation of pilgrims.

The Divine Liturgy was followed by the exaltation of the Holy Cross according to the following formality:

From the Holy Gate of the Catholicon of the Church, His Beatitude blessed the Holy Entrance and the procession was led by H.H.B., with the participation of Archpriests, Priests and deacons, the people following in front of the Sacred Edicule on the right and through the Seven Arches it went to the chapel of Saint Helen. From there it went down to the Cave after the incense offering at the Altar of the Armenians and the Throne of Saint Helen. At the Cave of the Finding of the Sacred Wood, the exaltation of the Cross was held according to the Typikon of the Church and the apolytikion “God save thy people” was chanted three times before the placement of the Cross at the point of its finding and it was exalted at the four parts of the horizon. The Troparia of the feast were chanted and from there, the litany went out, passing through the Seven Arches, marching three times around the Holy Sepulchre, the Sacred Wood bearing on the heads of the High Priests, and concluded to the Horrendous Golgotha.

There, the Holy Cross was once again raised by His Beatitude to the four points of the horizon for the sanctification of the faithful and of the whole creation.

After the Exaltation ceremony was completed, the Holy Cross was placed on the Holy Table of Golgotha ​​and the Bishops and the Consul General of Greece venerated it and the faithful received the flowers of the Holy Cross for their sanctification in thanksgiving and praise to God.

After the ceremony was over, the full congregation went to the Patriarchate Reception Hall, where a fasting feast was served, and His Beatitude spoke with the following address:

“The cross is a trophy for Christ; it was set on the ground once and for all and the devils are always driven away by its force. Where are the killings of idols and animals in vain? Where are the temples and the fire of unbelief? Everything was extinguished by holy blood and fell. And the cross is a powerful force, an invisible arrow, an immaterial medicine, a luscious wound, a dazzling glory” Saint John of Damascus says.

Your Excellency Consul General of Greece, Mr Evangelos Vlioras,

Dear Holy Fathers and Brothers,

Reverend Christians and pilgrims,

Today the new tabernacle, the holy Church, which our Lord Jesus Christ made “paradise intelligible” celebrates the universal exaltation of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross, through which the extinguishing and falling of the tree of knowledge were accomplished.

The truly universal and blessed event was celebrated by the holy Church of Jerusalem, the participation of High Priests and priests of the brother Orthodox Churches and the presence of pious pilgrims, in a thanksgiving gathering at this place, where Saint Helen found the Cross, as well as at the place where the wood of the Cross was solidified, that is, on the Horrendous Golgotha, where He was crucified.

“A trophy for Christ, the cross … was always extinguished by a holy blood and fell,” Saint John of Damascus preaches. And this, because the Son and Word of God, Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name (Philip 2,6-9), according to Saint Paul.

Through His humiliation unto death, death and the cross, “Christ freed us from the law of sin and the death of corruption” (Cf. Rom. 8:2). So here is the omnipotent power, the weapon against the devil, the immaterial medicine and the astonishing glory but also the beauty of the Church, which is founded on the sacrificial and crucified blood of Christ. Because of this, the Cross of Christ is the inexhaustible source of the power of the Church.

On the Cross and through the Cross our Lord Jesus Christ defeated the devil and provided our souls with His Peace. He is “the God of love and peace” (2 Cor. 13:11). Through His blood on the Cross, Christ made peace on earth and in heaven (cf. Col. 1:20), the wise Paul preaches again.

The exaltation of the Holy and life-giving Cross, that is, of Christ, calls us, my beloved brothers, as faithful members of His body, to fight on the one hand against our personal passions and on the other hand for the restoration of the broken unity of the one Holy Catholic Church and of the Apostolic Orthodox Church, listening to the commandment of blessed Paul, “studying to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”, (Eph. 4,3)

After the hymn, we say: “Today the Cross is lifted up and all the world is sanctified. For Thou, while throned with the Father and with the All-holy Spirit, by stretching out Thy hands thereon, hast drawn the whole world to Thyself, that it might know Thee, O my Christ. Therefore, vouchsafe divine glory to them that trust Thy goodness” and grant peace in our region and in the whole world. (Matins, Exapostelaria). Many and peaceful returns. Amen.”

From Secretariat-General




THE FEAST OF THE NATIVITY OF THE THEOTOKOS IN SAHNEEN

On Wednesday, September 8/21, 2022, the Patriarchate celebrated the feast of the Nativity of our Most Blessed Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary.

On this feast, the Church commemorates that the Theotokos is a gift of God to her childless parents Joachim and Anna and to all humanity, because from her, the Redeemer of the world, Christ, was made flesh by the Holy Spirit.

This feast was celebrated in the Greek Orthodox Community of the city of Sahneen in Northern Israel, in the region of Acre – Ptolemais, in the magnificent and huge Holy Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos, erected by the Community with the significant financial contribution of the Patriarchate.

The feast was celebrated with a Divine Liturgy, the first in the Holy Church after the consecration ceremony, which was held by H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos, with the co-celebration of their Eminences, Metropolitan Kyriakos of Nazareth, Metropolitan Hesychios of Capitolias, the Elder Kamarasis Archimandrite Nektarios, Archimandrites Artemios, Meletios and Marcellus, many Priests from the North Galilee district of the Patriarchate and from other regions, the Head of the Russian MISSIA in the Holy Land, Archimandrite Alexander, Fr Issa Musleh, Archdeacon Mark and Hierodeacon Dositheos. The chanting was delivered by the Acre Byzantine choir under Archimandrite Philotheos as the service was attended by the representatives of the local authorities, the Spiritual Father of Saint Savvas Lavra, Archimandrite Eudokimos, the honorary presence of Mr Samer Khouri, son of Mr Said Khouri, who have been great financial donors of the construction of this Church, the former Mayor of Bethlehem Mrs Baboon, Mr Caesar Marjieh, the religious leader of the Druze Mr Tarif, the Ambassador of Greece to Tel Aviv Mr Kyriakos Loukakis, the Ambassador of Russia, the Ambassador of Bela Russ, the Cypriot Mr Mihail who made the wooden ikonostasion, a group of pilgrims and many faithful Christians from Sahneen and other cities of Israel and Cana of Galilee.

On this very important occasion of the consecration, H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos delivered the following Sermon, which was read by Fr Issa Mousleh:

“How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. (Ps. 84, 1-2).

 Beloved brethren in Christ,

Reverend Christians and pilgrims,

 We rend glory and thanks to the Holy Triune God, who deemed us worthy today, to celebrate the consecration of this magnificent Church in your beautiful city of Sahneen, in honour and commemoration of the Nativity of the Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, chanting along with Saint Andrew of Jerusalem: “In thee O Immaculate Maiden, is the mystery of the Trinity praised and glorified. For the Father was well pleased and the Word dwelt among us, and the Divine Spirit overshadowed thee” (Matins, Ode 6, 2nd canon, glory).

We begged this divine Spirit Who overshadowed the Virgin Mary, the living temple of God’s Word so that it would also overshadow this house of God.

“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24), says the Lord. Nevertheless, “the place where thou standest is holy ground” (cf. Acts 7:33), namely the place of worship and gathering, where “I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee” (Hebrews 2:12, Ps. 22:23). And according to God-inspired Ezra: “”And now our God has chosen us to lead us to salvation and give us support in his sanctified place, enlighten our eyes and give life to children in the service of our passions”, (2 Esdr. 9,8). And according to our Lord Jesus Christ: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20).

During His incarnate Divine Providence, the Son and Word of God “hath filled all things with His light, and by His Holy Spirit, He hath renewed the whole world. For a house is founded to the Lord’s praise and glory, wherein Christ our God, for the salvation of mortals, doth consecrate and hallow the hearts of all His faithful flock” (Minaion Sept. 13, Kathisma 1 of Matins).

This glory of the Holy Triune God and the unity of faith in Christ and the communion of the Holy Spirit, let us bless and praise every day in this holy tabernacle of the glory of the Lord, of this newly built Church, established in honour of the Nativity of the Blessed Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, about whom the hymnographer Sergius of Jerusalem says: “Come all ye faithful, let us run to the Virgin. For behold, she is born who was foreordained before her conception to be the Mother of our God: the jewel of virginity, the rod of Aaron, that sprang from Jesse’s root, the preaching of the prophets, and the scion of righteous Joachim of Annal. She is born, and with her, the world is made new. She is brought forth, and the Church is arrayed with her proper majesty. She is the holy temple, the vessel of the Godhead, the virginal instrument, the royal bridechamber wherein was accomplished the wondrous mystery of the ineffable union of the natures that come together in Christ. As we worship Him, we praise the all-immaculate birth of the Virgin” (Great Vespers, Aposticha, Glory).

Behold the glory and richness of the God-human body of the Church, but also of its sanctification on earth, as the hymnographer says, “heaven is the Church, shining with many lights, appeared everywhere, illuminating the faithful; in which we cry out; establish this house, Lord.”

Indeed, the Church enlightens all believers by the power of the Holy Spirit, because as the Apostle Peter says; “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you” (1 Peter 5:10). Moreover, in the house of God we are called to “offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Ps. 51:17) the psalmist says. And Saint Paul entreats us, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1).

And this is so because the Church of God is a place of worship, that is, a place of a mystical converse between God and man, according to what is written in the Holy Bible, “And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle” (Exodus 33:11). In other words, the house of God is a place of prayer, which according to Saint John of the Ladder, is in its quality a communion and union of man with God, and in its power, the conciliation of God, food of the soul, enlightenment of the mind, proof of hope and solution of sorrow.

On this solemn and historic day for the city of Sahneen and its inhabitants, on the occasion of receiving from the truly admirable and now consecrated house of God, erected on the initiative of the pious Rum Orthodox flock of ours, which enjoys a peaceful co-existence with its fellow-religious compatriots, we boast in Christ, and after Saint Paul: “By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope” (Romans 5:2-4).

The Godly zeal and the reverence of the people of God for the Theotokos and Mother of God, through whom the earth and the heavens are joined and the natives were regenerated and from decay we were renewed and we became gods, built a temple as a house of prayer; where we receive invisibly the grace of the Holy Spirit.

We express our warm gratitude to everyone who in various ways cooperated and contributed to the achievement of this important project, especially to the local Council of the city of Sahneen and its honourable Presidents, to the blessed Mr Said Khoury and his beloved son, Samer Khoury, to our sister Church of Moscow and the charitable Russian foundations and finally to the tireless dentist Mr Magid and his family.

Let this work be for the glory of God and the praise of the city of Sahneen and its peace-loving people. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16). May it once again be the worshipful house of God, a symbol of faith, love, hope, peace, justice and security “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints” (1 Cor. 14:33), Saint Paul preaches.

Let us thank our Lord God, saying: “Christ the true light, the light that illuminates and sanctifies every man coming into the world, let the light of your face shine upon us, so that in it we may see the unattainable light; and direct our steps to the work of your commandments, by the prayers of our Most Blessed Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, whose nativity we celebrate and that of all the Saints”. Amen.

The Head of this Community, Archimandrite Fr Andrean Aleme, was awarded an honorary cross by His Beatitude.

At noon, the Community hosted a meal for His Beatitude and His entourage and many others, during which His Beatitude again spoke as follows:

“And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it” (Ps. 90:17).

Beloved brethren in Christ and Fathers,

Honourable Ladies and gentlemen,

Respected members of the Ecclesiastical Council,

Honourable Mayor and distinguished guests,

The city of Sahneen rejoices and is glad because the Lord God has enlightened the work of the hands of our pious Rum Orthodox Community. And we say this, because such works, like today’s magnificently consecrated Church, are on the one hand a jewel for the wider area of your city, on the other hand, they highlight the cultural progress of the religious communities living here peacefully and harmoniously. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).

This magnificent Church, along with the other houses of prayer are a true testimony that “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). The words emanating from God’s mouth are none other than divine love, peace, justice and mutual love and love for those who hate us, “love your enemies, bless those who curse us, do good to those who hate us”, (Matthew 5:44), the Lord orders.

The Run Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the mother of the Churches but also the first religious and ecclesiastical institution, has not ceased throughout the centuries to preach and confess and promote the divine values ​​and commands, which elevate the human being, the part that is made up of flesh and soul. The Lord says: “What is a man profited if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?” (Matthew 16,26). For these reasons, we all greet all of you who honoured Us with your presence for this historical event of the Consecration of this house of prayer and from the bottom of our hearts, we thank the respected members of your Community for the Abrahamic hospitality they provided.

 In addition, we pray that the Lord God through the prayers of the blessed Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary will overshadow and protect this city, its people and the Christian flock. Many happy returns, spiritual and fruitful. Amen”.

 After the banquet, His Beatitude visited the City Hall of Sahneen.

The Feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary was also celebrated in an Episcopal Divine Liturgy at the shrine of the Theotokos’ Tomb in Gethsemane, presided over by His Eminence Archbishop Aristovoulos of Madaba under the chanting of the newly arrived students of the Patriarchal School of Zion, led by Mr Vasilios Gotsopoulos.

After the end of the Divine Liturgy, the Hegoumen, His Eminence Metropolitan Joachim of Hellenoupolis hosted a reception at the hegoumeneion.

From Secretariat-General