On Friday 5/18 February 2022, H.H.B. the Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos and His Entourage went to Beer Sheba, the capital of Negev desert in Southern Israel and officiated the Divine Liturgy in a temporary Prayer House which serves the Liturgical needs of the parish until God allows the building of a Church dedicated to the Patriarch Abraham, Saint Sophronios, Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Holy Martyrs Maccabees. Co-celebrants to His Beatitude were their Eminences, Metropolitan Kyriakos of Nazareth, Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina, the Hegoumen of the H. Monastery of the Shepherds Archimandrite Ignatios, the Hegoumen of Cana Archimandrite Chrysostom, the ministering Priest of Nazareth Archimandrite Seraphim, the Steward of Nazareth Priest Simeon, and the Ministering Priest of Beer Sheba Priest Alexander Yatsevich. The chanting was delivered by the whole congregation of the parish in Slavonic, Greek and Arabic, under the lead of their Hegoumen, His Eminence Archbishop Aristovoulos of Madaba.

It should be noted that this was the first Patriarchal liturgy in Beer Sheba in the last 70 years. Despite the presence of tombs in the old Orthodox Christian cemetery in the old city of Beer Sheba since the19th century, there is no testimony proving the celebration of a Patriarchal Divine Liturgy since the time of the blessed Patriarch Timotheos in 1947 when the remaining Orthodox Christians abandoned the city and moved elsewhere.

In the Divine Liturgy, His Beatitude had prepared a Sermon which the ministering Priest of Beer Sheba read translated in Russian. After the Divine Liturgy, the Hegoumen of Beer Sheba Aristovoulos hosted a festal meal for His Beatitude and His Entourage. The Franciscan Fr. Roman from the Latin Parish was also a guest at the meal.

During the meal His Eminence Archbishop Aristovoulos of Madaba delivered the following address:

“Your Beatitude Father and Master,

I feel chills running through me watching this historic moment, seeing Your Holy Beatitude among us to bless and support us in the struggle of establishing the parish of our Russian-speaking flock from nought, in a remote area far from the Holy City, where our presence as Orthodox Christians has not yet been entirely accepted by the local community. Especially today, Your Beatitude, amidst Your reverend Patriarchal Entourage, I wish to express my gratitude once more, as from the very first moment that I asked Your blessing, in December 2008 to come to Beer Sheba, You have supported, advised, consoled me in my difficult times, and when we found ourselves in the happy event of officially establishing the parish with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy in Pentecost of 2017, You very willingly funded the rent of the first house of prayer, and when the needs of the parish increased and the members of the parish exceeded the 70 families, You again supported us, funding the rent of the present house of prayer.

I raise my glass on a toast to the health of Your Beatitude, wishing from the depths of my heart that God will enable Your Beatitude to soon place the founding stone and later on officiate the consecration of the new Holy Church, which will be a bastion for our Patriarchate in the historic city of the Patriarch Abraham and a spiritual shelter for the Orthodox Christians living herein.”

From Secretariat-General

During the Night Vigil at the All-holy and Life-giving Sepulchre on 31 January/13 February 2022, Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, the Hagiotaphite Hieromonk Anastasios Kirmitsakis, who serves at the Holy Sepulchre was ordained a Priest.

The ordination was held by Geronda Sacristan His Eminence Archbishop Isidoros of Hierapolis, preparing the ordained with the following Fatherly words:

“Most devout Hierodeacon Anastasios,

Blessed is the time that His Beatitude, our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos has chosen to promote you to the second degree of Priesthood. Your ordination to Priest coincides with the beginning of the most important period of our Church; the preparation for the luminous Resurrection of our Saviour Jesus Christ.

There, then, “the arena of the virtues” is being opened before you. You are given the chance to renounce the works of darkness, which are the worldly cares, the confusion of this vein world and be clad in the weapons of light, that is, to be spiritually prepared in order to see the Holy Light of the Resurrection, which stems from the same Holy Place, the All-holy and Life-giving Tomb of our Lord, where in a short while, the Holy Spirit will come down to alter you once more and make you a vessel of His choice.

“Behold a well-anticipated time, behold, a time of repentance”. And my mediocrity will add: Behold the Most Holy Place, behold the centre of salvation. What honour did the Divine Grace reserve for you, after a long journey and wandering in the cosmic paths and after it has removed you from the “broad way, that leadeth to destruction” (Matt. 7:13), leading you to the “narrow way, which leadeth unto life” (Matt. 7:14).

God led your footsteps when you first came to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as a pilgrim, and the spark of God’s love was kindled in you. You were not content with only the pilgrimage, which millions of pilgrims take for centuries.

The divine love altered your heart and put out the carnal love which you had as a father and husband for your worldly family. You discovered the divine Pearl and sold all your belongings to gain it. You realised that nothing in this world can be compared to the love of Christ. You remembered the words of our Lord to His Holy Disciples and Apostles: “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me is not worthy of me” (Matt. 10:37-38).

Like another Paul, the so-called ‘simple’, you left your wife and children behind and went away to save your life. And while in the case of Saint Paul the ‘simple’, his wife and daughters lived an irreverent life, and their father’s desire for the true life in Christ did not touch them, your family on the contrary, not only was benefited by your decision but also followed your example. A living example is standing by your side, your son in the flesh, who despite his young age was not impressed by the sirens of the world, but chose to follow you in the Holy Land.   

As, therefore, by God’s help you have escaped the traps set by the devil on your left, you stand before us today, waiting to enter the interior of the purple curtain.

          At this very point, I want to draw your attention, because the danger that awaits you is much greater and the temptations are much more indistinguishable, since the devil has now failed to throw you into the temptations from the left side, he is now preparing other temptations, which will come to you from the right side. You will be besieged by thoughts of Pride.

You will think that you are superior to other priests, who serve in other parts of the world. The honour and respect that will be given to you by the pious pilgrims can very easily deceive you and make you think that you have already reached the measures of holiness and that you are the centre of the world. The admiration and the flattering words, which are usually addressed by the various visitors to all the members of the Hagiotaphite Brotherhood, will always be in your ears.

To protect you from these dangerous thoughts I will remind you of what our Lord said to His chosen people, the Jews, whom He had destined to be an integral part of the Divine Providence. He called this same chosen people “generation of vipers”(Matt. 23:33), repeating the prophetic words of Saint John and Baptist when he urged his compatriots to “cultivate fruits worthy of repentance and not to think they will be saved because they have Abraham as their father, as God can even transform the stones and turn them into children of Abraham” (c.f. Luke 3:7).           

So do not think that only your physical presence in the Holy Sepulchre of our Lord is enough to open the way to salvation. No human being, as long as he breathes, can take his salvation for granted. “The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matt. 11:12).

Besides, you should not think that we are the protectors and guardians of the Holy Sepulchre and the other Holy Shrines as if our Lord and God were weak and had the need to be protected by us.

Lest it also happens to us what we see happening to his chosen people, who were called by God and prepared for the incarnation of the Lord and the Word of God, nevertheless its Pharisaic pride blinded him and he did not recognize the Saviour.

For this, as we have heard today the troparia of the Vespers and Matins, I will personally address you with the same advice. Take care with all your might to maintain a humble mind. You will achieve this initially with obedience, which you will demonstrate in the uncomplaining performance of your ministry. If the Devil sows thoughts like weeds in you that from now on your ministry should be commensurate with your age, then immediately repeat the omnipotent words of our Lord in the Sarantarion Mount “Get thee hence, Satan” (Matt. 4:10) and drive away the evil thoughts at once.

In particular, when the toil of the day closes your eyelids and brings you thoughts of exhaustion, you will think of the eternal rest in the bosom of Abraham that will have those who have conquered their flesh and overcame their nature, just as we see at the mural of our Holy Father Savvas the Sanctified at the refectory of his Holy Lavra to remind us that: “the one who conquered the flesh has conquered his nature. And the one who has conquered his nature has become above nature in all things”.

You should be like the newly-appeared and popular Saint Nectarios in forbearance, as he suffered harsh persecutions not by people of different religion and nation but by his own brethren, High Priests and Hieromonks; nevertheless, he never grouched and moreover, he never complained against anyone and endured the inhuman slander in patience and forbearance.

In complete renunciation of the world, you should have in front of you a living example, Saint Maximus Kausokalyvitis, and you should always be ready just like all the Agiotaphites to leave the position, in which you were comfortable and rested and adapt to any new situation.

Above all, honour the divine gift of Priesthood, which you are about to receive in a little while inside the Holy and Life-giving Tomb. Perform the Divine and Holy Liturgy in the fear of God and love without thoughts of vengeance against your brothers. Have the courage to apologize to your brothers when you make a mistake and to forgive those who have unwillingly caused you grief.           

By keeping the above, you will not be far from that servant of the Gospel, who was deemed worthy to hear the Lord telling him: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord” (Matt. 25:21)

And now kneel and open your heart to receive the Divine Grace of the Holy and Ritual Spirit, Who will cure you of any spiritual illness and will make up for your deficiencies, to make you a worthy Minister, sanctifying us and being sanctified yourself. Amen.”

After the placing of the Archbishop’s hands on the head of the ordained, the invocation of the Divine Grace and the reading of the prayers, along with the giving of the liturgical vestments, the people exclaimed ‘Axios’ and the service was concluded with the phrase “this is the altering of the right hand of the Most High”.

The ordained and those who honoured him were offered a reception after the service by Geronda Sacristan at his office.  

According to the order, the ordained paid his respects and received His Beatitude’s blessing on Monday 1/14 February 2022.

His Beatitude also blessed the monastic cassock of novice George Kirmitsakis, the son of the newly ordained Priest.

From Secretariat-General

On Friday 8/21 January 2022, the Patriarchate celebrated the feast of the Holy Monastery of Hozeva, which is the commemoration of its founders, Saints John and George the Hozevites.

Saint John was a pillar and beacon of the Monastery, having come from Caesarea of Palestine, while Saint George came from Cyprus and rebuilt the Monastery after the total destruction by the Persian raid in AD 614, thus drawing to it a great number of monks and a multitude of Christians.

For their commemoration, the current Hegoumen and renovator of the Monastery, who has also restored its function as a Coenobium, Archimandrite Constantine, received His Beatitude our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos with the following address:

“Your Beatitude, Father and Master,

With Your reverend Entourage

The holy founders of the Hozeva Lavra, John and George lived in ascesis here, not at the same time but each according to his Fathers, in honesty, integrity, love and peace. To speak plainly, they lived in union and oneness. These are virtues for which Saint Makarios of Egypt notes:

“In this manner, a lot of unanimity and peace and concord in the bond of peace can sustain each other, and live with one another in integrity and simplicity and prosperity of God” (Saint Makarios of Egypt Vol.41, Hom. 3, 21,31, p.156).

And how much coveted such unity and solidarity and sympathy in our Holy Orthodox Church is becoming nowadays, Your Beatitude, Father and Master!

We wish that by the prayers of the Saints John and George and Your Beatitude’s this unity will prevail in the end. Amen!

As Your sons, we welcome Your Beatitude wishing you a Happy Feast!”

An All-night Vigil followed, officiated by His Beatitude, with the co-celebration of their Eminences, Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina and Metropolitan Joachim of Helenoupolis, the Hieromonk of the Monastery Fr Chrysogonos, Archdeacon Mark and Hierodeacon Eulogios, as the chanting was delivered by Hierodeacon Simeon and Monks Clement and Daniel. The service was attended only by a few monks due to covid restrictions.

Before the Holy Communion His Beatitude delivered the following Sermon:

“Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name; they called upon the Lord, and he answered them. He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar: they kept his testimonies, and the ordinance that he gave them” (Psalm 99:6-7) the Psalmist says.

Beloved Brethren in Christ,

Holy Fathers and brothers

The Holy Spirit who came down in the form of the dove in the river Jordan at the baptism of Jesus Christ and Son of God has gathered us in this holy Monastery of Hozeva to honour the sacred memory of our Holy Father George the Hozevite.

Joyful was the previous feast of Theophany of our Lord Jesus Christ, glorious is the present day of the Saints of God, and this because “God is marvellous in His saints” (Psalm 68:36) according to the psalmist.

Blessed George paid heed to the psalmist words: “I awaited Thy salvation, O Lord, and Thy commandments have I loved. My soul hath kept Thy testimonies and hath loved them exceedingly. I have kept Thy commandments and Thy testimonies, for all my ways are before Thee, O Lord” (Psalm 118: 166-168), and “I have longed for Thy salvation, O Lord, and Thy law is my meditation” (Psalm 118:174). He abandoned the place of his birth, Cyprus, and came to the place of the redeeming mystery of the divine providence; the place of the nativity, crucifixion and three-day burial and resurrection of our Saviour Christ, as his hymnographer says: “Sore didst thou desire to see and to worship the Tomb of Him Whoever is, O wise George; and coming thereto, thou didst deem it a holy thing to die through asceticism with Him that was slain for His compassion’s sake” (Matins, Ode 7 Troparion 3).

In other words, blessed George sought the “immaculate and painless” life of Christ’s friends, namely the continuing city of the Kingdom of Heaven (Hebrews 13:14). He sought to put on Christ, “dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto” (1 Tim. 6:16), that is why he came to the Jordan desert, to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, according to Saint Paul’s preaching: “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal. 3:27).

In interpreting these words of Paul, Saint Photios says: “We put on Christ and the Holy Spirit, not as a garment that surrounds us exteriorly, but in a manner that we fill our heart and mind with light and grace”. The one who has filled his heart with the light and grace becomes a saint, according to the Holy One who has called us, and you have been born into holiness, because it is written: “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15-16), Saint Peter preaches, referencing the book of Leviticus (Lev. 11:44) and the urging of our Lord Jesus Christ “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matt. 5:48).

It is noteworthy though, that the words “be ye holy and perfect” do not refer to the essence of God but to the good works and actions and to all virtues in general. “For we are not able to become similar to the essence of God, but we can only imitate God by improving in virtues”, Saint Athanasios the Great says. “To become strangers to every malice as much as it can be possible, in both words and actions and in thought, cleansing yourselves from the impurity of malice, this is a true imitation of the divine perfection”, Saint Gregory of Nyssa says.

Of this divine perfection and holiness did Saint George become an imitator through his ascetic striving, like another John the Baptist in the Jordan desert, in Hozeva, preaching by his own example the utmost humility of Christ and His perfect love. This is also testified by his hymnographer: “The Monastery of Hozeva hath found in thee a rule and most exact example for the pursuit of every form of virtuous works, O wise George, boast of the righteous. Therefore, those who have passed their lives in godliness leap for joy with thee unto the ages” (Matins, Ode 8, Troparion 3).

Indeed, my dear brethren, Saint George became the modest ornament of the monastics and his Monastery of Hozeva a place of sanctification and confession of his commemoration (Psalm 30:4) according to the psalmist, where the light and truth of Christ, Who was baptised in the Jordan led a multitude of righteous and saints, among whom is Saint John from Caesarea, who also lived in ascesis here, and Saint John the New from Romania, whose incorrupt and fragrant relic confesses the faith of the fishermen Apostles and testifies the luminous Resurrection of Christ; the victory of Christ’s death over the death of corruption and sin.

Let us pray to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, so that we who celebrate the commemoration of Saint George, may gain the redeeming light of Christ’s glory. And let us say along with the hymnographer: “With one accord, let us faithful laud with hymns God the Word, Who came forth from God, and Who ineffably took on flesh from a pure Virgin for us and in wisdom past telling descended to make Adam new again, who by eating fell grievously down into corruption’s pits” (Matins, Ode9, Heirmos). Amen. Many happy returns!”

After dismissal, the Hegoumen Archimandrite Constantine hosted a monastic meal.

On Saturday 9/22 January 2022 the Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Monastery of the recently discovered Cemetery of the Hozevite holy martyrs. The church was built in their memory by the current Hegoumen Archimandrite Constantine. The icon of the holy martyrs is posted below with the chapel on the background.

From Secretariat-General

On Saturday morning, 2/15 January 2022, the Hagiotaphite Archimandrite Eusevios Dagalas slept in the Lord. Our blessed brother was found dead in his cell by the Elder Dragoman Archimandrite Mattheos.

Prior to this morning, the departed had gone to the monastic Church of Saints Constantine and Helen and led the Byzantine chanting for the feast of the Apodosis of Christmas, and on Thursday night he was seen at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for the Liturgy of the Lord’s Circumcision and of Saint Basil the Great.

His funeral service was held at 15:30 on Saturday afternoon at the chapel dedicated to Saint Thecla, by H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos and the co-celebration of all the Archbishops of the Patriarchate and many Hagiotaphite Fathers. The service was attended by the Nuns of the Patriarchate and laity from the Russian and Arab-speaking flocks and the Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem Mr Evangelos Vlioras.

The obituary was delivered by Geronda Secretary-General, His Eminence Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina as follows:

“Your Beatitude, Father and Master,

Your Eminences Holy Archbishops,

Your Excellency Mr Consul General of Greece,

Dear Fathers and Brethren in Christ,

Having recently celebrated the Metropolis of the feasts, the feast of Christmas, in Bethlehem and in our Hagiotaphite Brotherhood, and yesterday we celebrated the feast of the Lord’s circumcision and the commemoration of Saint Basil the Great, along with the beginning of the new civil year, it is with great sadness and sorrow of heart that today, Saturday, as we commemorate Saint Silvestros Pope of Rome and Saint Seraphim of Sarov, we found our brother, Archimandrite Eusevios to have suffered a sudden death in his cell. The last time we saw him, he was chanting at the Church of Saints Constantine and Helen on the feast of the Apodosis of Christmas.

Our sadness on this sudden departure and separation can be comforted by our Lord Jesus Christ though, Who died as a man on the Cross and was risen from the dead. It is only in Him and His teaching that we find the healing of our broken hearts.

Thus encouraged, we offer our departed brother the established by the Church funeral service and the honour our Brotherhood attributes to him. Archimandrite Eusevios was born in Achladochori of Siniki in Serres by a pious family and came to the Patriarchal School at a very young age. After his graduation, he joined the Hagiotaphite Brotherhood as a Monk and diligently studied and excelled in the Greek language and the Byzantine Tradition of Music. After his ordination to Deacon and later to Priest, and having received the title of the Archimandrite, he was sent to study Theology at the Theological School of Leningrad in Russia, where he excelled in the Russian language.

When he returned to Jerusalem, he served with zeal and devotion in various ministries of the Brotherhood, at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem, at the Secretariat Office, the Holy Monastery of Capernaum, the Holy Monastery of Saint Charalambos, the Holy Monastery of the Holy Ancestors of God Joachim and Anna and at the Archives office.

He served as the left Byzantine singer at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and for many years as the leading Byzantine singer at the Monastic Church of Saints Constantine and Helen. Through his sweet voice and the precision of Byzantine music, he delivered the hymns in a manner that brought joy, contrition to our souls, and communion with God.

“But death came, and made all these disappear”. We will not hear him again rejoicing our hearing and softening our hearts in this time, but in the future to come, at the Resurrection of the dead.

In this faith and hope, we pray to the One Who has the power over life and death and of the remission of sins, to pardon him for any sins he committed as a man, voluntarily and involuntarily and receive him to praise Him in His heavenly dwellings, along with the righteous, where the Light of the One God in Three Persons shines abundantly and His perfect Love and unmeasurable and infinite compassion comforts and reigns.

Everlasting his remembrance!”

The funeral procession was led by His Eminence Archbishop Aristovoulos of Madaba, to conclude the service with the departed’s burial at the cemetery of the Patriarchate in Holy Zion.

Everlasting his remembrance!

From Secretariat-General

The ordination to Deacon of Monk Dositheos Konidis was observed during the All-night Vigil at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Tuesday 22 December 2021/ 4 January 2022.

Monk Dositheos, with passport name Elias Konidis, came to Jerusalem and the Patriarchate as a novice Monk from the Monastery of his monastic training and was tonsured a Monk.

Having been tested at the Central Monastery of the Patriarchate in the appointed to him duties, he was found worthy to be ordained as a Deacon by the decision of the Holy and Sacred Synod.

The ordination was incorporated in the Divine Liturgy according to the Typikon Order of the Church. Before the ordination, the ordaining Metropolitan Isychios of Kapitolias admonished Father Dositheos regarding the importance and holiness of the Hierodeacon’s Office as follows:

“Dear Subdeacon Dositheos,

Great and honourable indeed is this day for you, when by the holy decision of our much-caring Father and Patriarch Theophilos III and the Synodical confirmation, you are deemed worthy of the high honour of the ordination to Deacon.

In exceeding love to our Lord and Saviour Christ, and in wholehearted devotion to the Most Holy Mother of Churches, you have forsaken your parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and came to the Holy Land to serve with all your strength and devote yourself to the All-holy places of our Lord, which are connected to the earthly presence of our Redeemer, and gush living waters and divine grace, along with rivers of blessings to those who come to venerate them in faith.

Within a short time of your presence as a Monk in our Venerable Patriarchate of Jerusalem, you have shown perfect obedience and exemplary willingness to do your duty, respect for the elders, love for the younger ones. For this and as a really short period that completed long times, you claim today with the grace of the Holy Sepulchre to enter the first degree of the Priesthood.

I am more than sure of the various feelings that overwhelm your noble soul and heart.  The joy and rejoicing are possessed by fear and awe because you certainly feel the magnitude of the responsibility you take on. Do not be cowardly though, but have courage in the benefactor Christ, whom you will serve actively from today.

With a humble mind face the Οne who extended Ηis hands on the Cross, out of His unspoken philanthropy to the human race. He is our consolation and strength in Him only do we hope. For this reason, in all your actions, you should try to follow His example as the safe type and order of salvation.

Your human weakness may make you believe this is a hard-to-bear achievement, but you should always have before your eyes, and hear the Lord’s philanthropic words: “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:30).

For this, come in sober mind and a contrite heart to receive from my unworthy hands the Grace of the All-mighty Holy Spirit, Who fills and safeguards the militant Church of Christ.

The prayers of His Beatitude, our Father and Patriarch, of the members of our Holy and Sacred Synod and all your Hagiotaphite brethren are always accompanying you, and especially at this honourable and sacred time of your life.

I pray that the Grace of the All-holy and Life-giving Tomb of our Saviour Christ will safeguard you all the days of your life.”

The about to be ordained Dositheos replied as follows:

“Glory be to God for all things!

Your Eminence Metropolitan Isychios of Kapitolias,

Your Eminence Archbishop Isidoros of Hierapolis and Sacristan of the Holy Sepulchre,

Reverend Elder Dragoman Archimandrite Mattheos,

Reverend Exarch of the Holy Sepulchre in Greece, Archimandrite Raphael,

Reverend Fathers,

Blessed flock,

With the wishes of His Holiness our Father and Patriarch Theofilos, we gathered today to honour our celebrated Saints, to be strengthened and to prepare for the great day of the incarnation of the Lord and God and our Savior Jesus Christ and finally to give me double joy than I would receive, if it were not for your presence, this blessed moment of my personal Pentecost.

First I want to thank everyone who contributed to my biological and spiritual well-being, which made me stand here today. Starting from my relatives in the flesh, my teachers, the Metropolitan of Monemvasia and Sparta  Efstathios, the brotherhood of the Holy Monastery of the Forty Saints in Laconia and its Hegoumen, Father Ephraim, who taught me, strengthened and secured me in my first steps in the monastic life, I conclude cordially thanking the Holy Common of the Holy Sepulchre and its Hegoumen, our Father and Patriarch Theofilos, His Eminence, Metropolitan Isychios of Kapitolias, for the honour I receive to be ordained by the General Patriarchal Commissioner, the Elder Dragoman reverend Archimandrite Mattheos, who trusted and supported me in my first steps in these God-trodden places. In general, I thank the Holy and Sacred Synod for the trust it shows in me.

The joy is great. The grace of God brought me to the places where the righteous Abraham was led when obeying the will of God, went out of kinship and place that raised him. This is where the King-prophet David was when his son Absalom was chasing him to kill him to get his throne, but he prayed to God to have mercy on his child because what happens to him is due to his own mistakes. In the place where our Lady was born, where she offered us our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In the place where our ancestors have left us their indelible passage through the centuries to this day.

I will close my speech of thanks with a wish. Our Catholicon that dominates the Church of the Resurrection, after the great catastrophe it suffered in 1810, united the Greeks everywhere in its reconstruction, so that since then it is called “The miracle of the faith of the Greeks”. I wish in these special moments that we pass to maintain our unity and oneness.

Thank you all for your love and forgive any of my mistakes!”

At the invocation of the Divine Grace, the Monks, Nuns and laity present exclaimed “Axios!” for the ordained.

After the Divine Liturgy, the new Hierodeacon offered a reception to all who honoured him, at the office of Geronda Sacristan, Archbishop Isidoros of Hierapolis.

In the morning the newly ordained came to the Patriarchate Headquarters and received the blessing and Fatherly admonitions from His Beatitude.

From Secretariat-General

https://www.facebook.com/100024003007073/videos/1259410547888120/

On Monday, 9/22 November 2021, the Patriarchate celebrated the sixteenth election and enthronement anniversary of His Beatitude our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos at the glorious throne of the Mother of Churches.

For this joyful and important event, there was a Doxology at the Catholicon of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre at 10.30 a.m. The Doxology was led by H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos with co-celebrants the Hagiotaphite High Priests, Hieromonks and Deacons, and the participation in prayer of Monks and Nuns from all areas of the Patriarchate’s jurisdiction, along with laity faithful, and the Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem Mr Evangelos Vlioras.

After the Doxology, bells tolling, everybody returned to the Patriarchate Headquarters.

At the Great Hall, Geronda Secretary-General, His Eminence Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina addressed His Beatitude on behalf of the Holy and Sacred Synod and the Hagiotaphite Brotherhood as follows:

“Your Beatitude Father and Master,

A rather joyful and important event has gathered today the reverend members of our Venerable Hagiotaphite Brotherhood and the Christian congregation of the Church in a gathering of Doxology at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

This event is Your Beatitude’s election and enthronement at the glorious and martyr’s throne of the Mother of Churches, sixteen years ago, by the canonical and unanimous voting of the members of the Holy and Sacred Synod and the representatives of our Rum Orthodox Arab-speaking flock. This happened after a period of harsh testing which endangered but did not destroy the vessel of the Church. Then the Brotherhood stood up to its height and the demands of its mission, condemned and renounced the illegal agreements of deporting property of the Patriarchate of incalculable material and cultural value, undermining the Status Quo of the Old City of Jerusalem and placed Your Beatitude on the Patriarchal Throne, to guide the vessel of the Church from the stormy sea of foggy corruption in the prosperous port of honesty, justice and transparency.

Having received the order, Your Beatitude did not waste any time, nor hesitated on toils and pains and efforts, but on the contrary, rushed with all Your might to costly court trials and meetings with local and foreign people of authority and influence for the refutation of the illegal agreements which were signed without the approval of our Holy and Sacred Synod and the knowledge of the Brotherhood. This interest You Beatitude extended to the utilization of the property of the Holy Sepulchre in Greece through a system of financial transparency, able to bring to the Patriarchate income corresponding to its heavy costs. With the same responsibility and sensitivity, Your Beatitude was also responded to the financial reports submitted by the Exarch of the Holy Sepulchre in the Church of Cyprus.

Your Beatitude exhibited also a lively, practical and effective interest in the preservation of the Pilgrimage rights of the Brotherhood and our nation in cooperation with the Custody of the Franciscans in the Holy Land, through the reverting of attempts to create permanent situations by the Armenians, such as the case of the placing of curtains by us at the God-receiving Cave in Bethlehem, the cathode of the Orthodox Icon in the Cave during our Vespers when our Feast of Epiphany coincides with the Armenian Christmas and it is a Sunday or a Monday. Moreover, the removing of the barriers the Armenians illegally placed on the façade of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the exercising of our right to offer incense inside the altar of the Armenian chapel of Saint Helen and our attitude regarding this matter on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the cessation of the Armenians’ work at their chapel of Saint John the Theologian in the courtyard of the Holy Sepulchre until an agreement among the Three Major Communities is reached.

The actions and efforts of Your Beatitude for the preservation of the Church property and the Pilgrimage rights of the Patriarchate did not in the least divert You from exercising the pure Pastoral work through Your title as the Hegoumen of the Brotherhood or as the Patriarch of the Rum Orthodox Arab-speaking flock of ours. Over the past years and during the current one of the pandemic, Your Beatitude visited the celebrating Holy Monasteries and Communities and strengthened the mindset of the Monks and the faithful either by words or by financial help. Similarly, You have received at the Patriarchate Priests and caretakers of the flock and guided them to the most convenient for them solution to their Communities’ problems. However, the most tangible support of Your Beatitude and the Patriarchate to the flock has been the recent agreement between the Patriarchate and the international company Raouabi, after the gaining of the relevant licence by the Jerusalem Municipality, for the construction of the “Al-Quds Lana” in Bir Nabala Beit Hanina in East Jerusalem on property that belongs to the Patriarchate. This will include four hundred flats, a school, shops, offices, a mall, recreation areas and parking spaces and will offer great relief in the suffocating housing problem of the Community of Jerusalem.

The new radiographic machine donated to the clinic ‘Saint Benedictos’ by Mr Athanasios Martinos by Your Beatitude’s actions and those of the Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem Mr Evangelos Vlioras will contribute to the better medical care of the flock members and of every ill person, regardless of religion and nationality.

For the prosperity of the Christians in the Holy Land, the cooperation between the local Christian Churches was cultivated by the care of Your Beatitude at the Patriarchate. We have maintained the community in Christ among the brotherly Orthodox Churches, with Your Beatitude always stressing the necessity of continuation of the dialogue for the solving of pressing issues.

For the continuation, increase and enrichment of the God-pleasing work of Your Beatitude, the Holy and Sacred Synod and the whole Brotherhood stand by Your side and walk along with You, with each member offering his own qualifications, experience, education, love in Christ, obedience and respect to the Patriarchal institution and to You, its Primate, who “stands in type and place of Christ”.

On behalf of the Holy and Sacred Synod and the Brotherhood, I raise my glass on a toast Your Beatitude, wishing You many happy returns, peaceful, joyful, stable and fruitful, in strong governmental power, by the Holy Spirit, and in jubilation of Your children, as fruitful newly planted olive trees, surrounding Your table, for the praise of our blessed nation and the glory of our Trinitarian God. So be it.”

Then the Consul General of Greece Mr Vlioras addressed His Beatitude, followed by the representatives of the communities of the flock, the representative of the Russian Church and others.

Thanking all those, His Beatitude addressed all as follows:

“I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name forever and ever” (Psalm 145:1), King-Prophet David chants.

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

Reverend Holy Fathers and Brothers,

Beloved Christians,

The vineyard of the Lord, namely the Holy Church of Jerusalem, “which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself” (Psalm 80:15-16), celebrates today the sixteenth anniversary of the settlement of Our Mediocrity at the Apostolic Throne of the Holy and righteous James the Brother of God and its First Hierarch.

This festal anniversary does not refer to Our unworthiness, but to the God-founded and Apostolic institution of the Church “and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28), according to the Evangelist Luke.

That is why, along with the Reverend members of the Venerable Hagiotaphite Brotherhood, we went to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where we rendered a thanksgiving Doxology to our Holy Trinitarian God, “which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13) according to Paul.

Our care and ministry so far of the Patriarch, Hegoumen, Monastic and Shepherd “on the throne of grace of the High Priest, our Lord Jesus Christ, who came from Heavens, from Whom we receive mercy and grace” (ref. Hebrews 4:14-15), that is the throne of the Mother of Churches and the Holy Zion, the dwelling place of God, has only one purpose; the keeping of the God-given Apostolic tradition and the consignment of the healthy faith and the keeping the word of truth right, through Jesus Christ, according to the witness of Saint John the Evangelist; “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Moreover, to the preservation of the All-holy Shrines which are the tangible and true witnesses of the great mystery of reverence (1 Tim. 3:16), but also to the holy places of the logical worship as well as the defence of the irrefutable and sovereign rights of the noble and royal nation of the Rum Orthodox Christians.

Nevertheless, hearkening to the Lord’s command: “that you should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me” (Acts 1:4), we have not ceased raising our voice toward all directions in this country and internationally in favour of the non-alteration of the multi-cultural, multi-religious and multi-ethnic character of the Holy City of Jerusalem, which is the spiritual capital of the whole world, especially for the moral and material strengthening of the Christians living in the Holy Land.

This is what we do under the care of the Holy Presence, the leading institutional role of our Venerable Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the internationally recognized, in the exercise of its spiritual and religious mission, but also in the care for the preservation of the existing Status Quo, both in its pilgrimage and demographic character in the Holy City of Jerusalem, threatened by those who lurk for its deterioration. “Casting all your care upon him; for He careth for you”, Saint Peter advises (1 Peter 5:7).

This sixteenth enthronement anniversary of Our Mediocrity calls us not to boasting, but to vigilance. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8), the Chief of the Apostles Peter says. “For our boast is in Christ”, Saint Paul preaches, “the testimony of our conscience” (ref. 2 Cor. 1:12).

Keeping “this rule” (Gal. 6:16), namely Paul’s word, “the testimony of our conscience” we are called to complete our ministry, to “do the work of an evangelist” (2 Tim. 4:5), in the contemporary world of globalization through which “the mystery of iniquity doth already work” (2 Thess. 2:7), namely, “blasphemy, pride, foolishness” (Mark 7:22).

In Our ministry as a Patriarch and Hegoumen at the Apostolic and martyr’s throne of Saint James the Brother of God, We have as colleagues and co-celebrants our reverend and dear in Christ Fathers and Hagiotaphite brothers, the High Priests, Priests, Hieromonks, Deacons and Monks, distinguished for their Godly zeal and sacrificial Hagiotaphite self-sacrifice, who hear to the words of the Holy Hieromartyr Ignatios of Antioch: “Let us love one another in unity, and let no one see his fellow man according to the flesh, but in Christ Jesus. Let there be nothing among us able to divide us; but be united with the Bishop, submitting to God through him in Christ”.

Truly we say that our struggle is a struggle against the craftiness of deception (Eph. 4:14) and division, namely the schism of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of the Ecumenical Orthodoxy. “… every city or house divided against itself shall not stand” (Matt. 12:25) the Lord says. That is why we who serve in the holy places of the Nativity, Crucifixion and Resurrection of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ, “by whom we have now received the atonement” (Romans 5:11), do not cease praying for the keeping of the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3).

These methods of delusion, division and falsehood of the devil are recorded in the sacred history of the past, but also of the present era, of the Church in general and of the Church of Jerusalem in particular, that is, of the Rum Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which is calumniated but not vanquished by the sons of the darkness of this century (Luke 18: 8).

Let us entreat our God the Father of lights and truth, “to guide our steps to the working of his commandments” through the intercessions of our Most-Blessed Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, and of our Father among the Saints Nectarios of Pentapolis. May the grace of the All-holy and Life-giving Tomb of our Saviour Christ fortify all of us in the ministry of the All-holy Shrines, the true witnesses of our faith, and of the shepherding of our Christian flock which is tested by the pandemic plague of coronavirus.

For all these, we call upon all who prayed along with Us and honoured with their presence this enthronement anniversary of Ours, wishing them strength from on high, the enlightening power of the Holy Sepulchre, patience and every blessing from God, expressing also Our warm thanks to all who addressed Us; Geronda Secretary-General, His Eminence Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina, who spoke on behalf of the Holy Synod and our Hagiotaphite Brotherhood, His Excellency the Consul General of Greece Mr Evangelos Vlioras, Reverend Archimandrite Alexander the representative of the Brotherly Holy Church of Russia, who conveyed the wishes of His Beatitude the Patriarch of Moscow Cyril, His Eminence Metropolitan Kyriakos of Nazareth who spoke on behalf of our flock in Nazareth, His Eminence the Archbishop Damascene of Yaffo who spoke on behalf of our flock in Yaffo, Reverend Father Charalambos Bandour who spoke on behalf of Saint James Cathedral, Reverend Archimandrite Philotheos who spoke on behalf of the Community of Acre-Ptolemais, the Principal of Saint Demetrios School of the Patriarchate Mr Samir Zananir and the teachers Mrs Kafetzi and Mr Kongos, Mr Moris Sabela who spoke on behalf of the polyclinic ‘Saint Benedictos’, His Eminence Archbishop Aristovoulos of Madaba who spoke on behalf of the Russian-speaking community in Ashdod, Mr Athanasios Abu Eta and Ode Issa, the Hagiographer Gabriel and all who participated in the celebration of this enthronement anniversary.”

After the ceremony at the Patriarchate’s Hall, there was a monastic meal at the refectory of the Patriarchate.

From Secretariat-General

On Tuesday, 3/ 16 November 2021, the Patriarchate celebrated the feast of the Holy Glorious Great Martyr George the Trophy-bearer at the Holy Church dedicated to him where his tomb lies in Lod, a Church built by Saint Helen.

On this feast, the Church commemorates the translation of the Saint’s relics from Rome, where he suffered a martyr’s death for Christ, to Lod, the hometown of his mother.

For this reason, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated by Geronda Secretary-General, His Eminence Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina with the co-celebration of Hagiotaphite Hieromonks along with the Hegoumen Hieromonk Marcellus and Hierodeacon Eulogios. The chanting was delivered by the Lod Community Byzantine choir in Arabic, at the attendance of a large congregation of faithful who venerated the Saint’s tomb, as well as the with the honorary presence of the representative of the Greek Embassy in Tel Aviv Mr Anastasios Konstantaras and of the Embassy of Georgia Mr David.

His Eminence delivered the following Sermon to this congregation:

“Reverend Fathers and Brethren in Christ,

As known, the Church celebrates the commemoration of the martyrdom of the Holy Great Martyr George the Trophy-bearer on 23^rd April. Today, on 3^rd November, we celebrate the commemoration of the translation of his relics and the consecration of the Church dedicated to him in Lod.

What is the truth regarding these two events? The translation of the Saint’s relics and the consecration of his Church?

The memory of the Church has kept the information that before Saint George martyred in Rome, during the reign of Emperor Diocletian, he had asked his servant to transfer his body and left the will to distribute his belongings to his mother’s homeland. On his father’s side, the Saint was from Cappadocia, of Asia Minor. On his mother’s side, he was Palestinian.

Faithful to Saint George’s command, after his martyrdom his servant transferred his relics to his mother’s hometown, Lod. This transfer coincided with the visit and action of Saint Helen in the Holy Land. During that period, Saint Helen built the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem and many other Churches, at the places where our Lord walked and lived. After the suggestion and supplication of the Christians in Lod, who already venerated and honoured Saint George’s relics, Saint Helen built the Church above the Saint’s tomb in Lod. This Church is one of the oldest of Christianity and belongs to the Holy shrines of the Church of Jerusalem.

In this Church, we venerate a small piece of Saint George’s relics, as the Church of Jerusalem has given other pieces to other Churches. By venerating the Saint’s relic, just as we do with the Holy Icons, we are sanctified, we receive God’s grace, which is abundant in the relic because through it the Saint shed his blood for Christ, we receive healings when we are sick because the Saint’s relics have healing powers.

Numerous are the pilgrims who have come to Lod today, the Saint’s hometown, which is also called in his honour as Georgioupolis, to venerate his relic and ask for his help.

This feast today with the Holy Eucharist as the main event is a great blessing for the city of Lod and especially for the Rum Orthodox Community. We convey the wishes and blessings of His Beatitude the Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos to the energetic Hegoumen Father Marcellus, to the caretakers, the Rum Orthodox flock, to all who celebrate today, to our dear brethren in Christ co-celebrant Priests, and to the diplomatic representatives of various countries who honour with their presence this feast. We ask Saint George to intercede with the Lord and be our helper in the difficulties of our lives and protect our health from every illness and especially from the covid-19 virus. So be it.”

After the Divine Liturgy, the Hegoumen Hieromonk Marcellus and the Community Council hosted a meal for His Eminence and His entourage.

For this feast, the Divine Liturgy was also celebrated at the Holy Monastery of Saint George of the Hospital by Reverend Archimandrite Philotheos, under the hospitality of Abbess Pansemni and at the Holy Monastery of Saint George in the Jewish Quarter by Archimandrite Makarios, hosted by nun Christina and also at the Church of Saint George of Beitjala by His Eminence Metropolitan Joachim of Helenoupolis under the hospitality of the Hegoumen Archimandrite Ananias.

From Secretariat-General

On Thursday morning, 15/28 October 2021, the Patriarchate celebrated the commemoration of the national anniversary of 1940.

For this feast, there was a Doxology at the Catholicon of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, to our Almighty God, who released our country from the Italian military attack of 1940 and the barbaric occupation of the Nazis, which followed (1945) and let it to freedom. The Service included also a prayer for the repose of the souls of our fathers who fought bravely and fell gloriously in this fight for freedom.

The Doxology was led by H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos with the co-celebration of the Hagiotaphite Archbishops, Hieromonks and Deacons, with the participation in prayer of Monks, Nuns, members of the Greek community of Jerusalem, at the presence of the Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem Mr Evangelos Vlioras and members of the Greek Consulate.

After the Doxology there was a reception at the Patriarchate Reception Hall, where His Beatitude addressed those present as follows:

“Today we honour the anniversary of 28^th October 1940. This historical event is interwoven with the known “NO” of the Greeks to the boldest claim of the then fascist state of Italy, to occupy “through its armed forces strategic points of Greek territory”. Italy was in alliance with the demonic and brutal Nazi and Hitler regime of Germany.

The unbridled belligerence of the powerful forces of the Axis and their advance into the homeland was interrupted by the really strong resistance of the Greeks, who fought for the divine gifts of freedom and national independence, that is, territorial integrity.

Once again, the Greek nation in its glorious and multidimensional long history showed its unwavering faith in the ancestral legacy of the natural and moral values ​​of patriotism, righteousness and freedom, as well as absolute respect for the human person. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage” (Gal. 5:1).

The “No” of 28^th October 1940 should not be considered a simple landmark of global history, but rather a reminder of the ongoing battle in the world between the sons of light against the sons of darkness, and of the power of truth against the power of lie and arrogance. “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let until he be taken out of the way” (2 Thess. 2:7) Saint Paul denotes.

In the dark night of the acting mystery of lawlessness but also of insanity in the so-called “Age of the New Order”, the epic of “No of 1940”, that is, the moral values ​​it embodies, shines as a perpetual beacon to those in the sea of ​​darkness, and for this, we are called to vigilance at the urging of the wise Paul: “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong” (1 Cor. 16:13).

Our Venerable Hagiotaphite Brotherhood, honouring as it should the epic of 1940 and joyfully participating in this commemoration of freedom and sacrificial victory, of the humiliating disaster and displacement of the hated Nazi occupying military forces, has come down to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where we offered a thanksgiving Doxology to our God and Saviour Jesus Christ, Who was crucified and resurrected for us.

Moreover, we rendered interceding prayers for the eternal memory and blessed repose of the souls of all our Fathers and Brethren who fought for our faith and country and fell gloriously in the battlefields.

For those allow Us to raise Our glass on a toast and exclaim:

Long live 28^th October 1940!

Long live the “No”!

Long live Hellas!

Long live the noble nation of the Rum Orthodox!

Long live the Hagiotaphite Brotherhood!”

The Consul General of Greece, Mr Evangelos Vlioras, also addressed the following address:

“Your Beatitude,

Distinguished High Priests,

Dear Fathers,

Dear children,

Colleagues,

Ladies and gentlemen,

National anniversaries are milestones, occasions for reflection, which in the course of time bring back to our minds the events that have forged the collective historical memory of Greeks everywhere.

Today’s anniversary of October 28, 1940, 81 years since that glorious moment that is a point of reference for Hellenism everywhere, gives us the opportunity to recall in our minds and 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 Forts 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 it had no daily life and feasts”, to use the expression of Odysseus Elytis, the Greeks, gave what they had most valuable to preserve our national independence and integrity, timeless ideals of all the Struggles of the Nation from 1821 until today.

The letters, from the Front, of the Greek soldiers, show the self-denial, the original, primitive patriotism and the strong will of the Greeks, to fight for the freedom, independence and integrity of the homeland, knowing well that the price of freedom is always high.

At the beginning of November 1940, the soldier Spilios Latsinos wrote to his mother and brothers:

“My beloved mother and my beloved brothers. As things are going, they look good for our army and I will be very happy since we were given the honour to go first from our regiment to take part in the battle. I address my whole family, that is, to all that I love in this world, and I will always ask you to wish more to God that our army wins than to save myself. “

At the end of November, Athanasios Kourouklis sends the following letter to his son, who is serving in the Navy, informing him that his brother was killed.

 “Andrea, we are fine. Our favourite child, Christos, was killed. My child, your mother gives you her blessing, not to be upset at all. Be faithful. “

 To these bastions of the homeland, who defended, “without death”, our national independence, to those who fell in battle and to those who returned from the front with a soul full of bitterness and fear, to those who fought the ruthless beast of fascism and Nazism, setting a living example of hope to the peoples of fearful Europe, to the mothers and wives who waited or mourned, to the children who were orphaned, to these “few of our brothers”, we pay tribute today.

October 28, 1940, marks the denial of totalitarianism, the resistance to fascism, our commitment to freedom and national dignity and summarizes, in a historic moment, the memories, experiences and values ​​that have always guided our national life.

It is therefore a special honour for the Consul General of Greece to address the Hellenism of the Holy Land on this special day of remembrance and pride.

As those who are in the Holy Land, we today reflect with emotion the contribution of the Greeks of Jerusalem to the Struggle of 1940.

More than 40 volunteers thickened the lines of the Armed Forces of Free Greece. When the fortunes of the War turned out to be negative for the Allied Struggle, Jerusalem and our Consulate General became, in 1942 for three months, the seat of the government of Free Greece.

On this historic day, we especially mention the Sailor Electrician Anestis Zografos, who gave his life in the sinking of the Katsoni Submarine in Skiathos on September 14, 1943, and the Sailor Engineer Emmanuel Mykonos, who was killed during the impact of a mine on Okrino 1943. The bones of the latter as well as 20 of his other comrades-in-arms, always loyal to duty, were transported from Turkey to Greece in 1947 and deposited in the ossuary of the Monument to the Fallen of our Navy.

Your Beatitude,

Distinguished High Priests,

Dear Fathers,

Dear children,

Colleagues,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Today, as in our historical past, the ancient Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Hagiotaphite Brotherhood testify and strengthen the dynamic presence of Hellenism in the Holy Land.

The Patriarchate of Jerusalem, as the pre-eminent exponent of our Orthodox faith and Hellenism in the Holy Land, has been and remains a living example of godly life, faith and hope and guardian of the moral and spiritual values ​​of Greek and Orthodox witness.

In our time, 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 supplies for our effective response to every struggle.

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

This historic day is also a milestone between the present, the past and the future. By remembering the past, we guide our steps in the present and envision a better future for our country and for the whole world.

With feelings of pride for yesterday and optimism for today and tomorrow, let us renew our promise to stand on the ramparts of the struggle for freedom and our national independence and progress.

Long live the 28th of October 1940!

Long live Greece!”

From Secretariat-General

On Sunday, 11/24 October 2021, Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the 7^th Ecumenical Synod (AD 787), who restored the holy icons, His Eminence Metropolitan Kyriakos of Nazareth celebrated the anniversary of thirty years of prosperous, fruitful and under good oath Episcopal Office in the Metropolis of Nazareth.

On this occasion, the Episcopal Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Shrine of the Holy Church of the Metropolis dedicated to the Annunciation of the Theotokos. The Liturgy was officiated by the celebrating Metropolitan Kyriakos of Nazareth. His Holy Beatitude, our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos was represented by His Eminence Archbishop Methodios of Tabor, who came from Jerusalem, and co-celebrated at the Liturgy along with His Eminence Metropolitan Joachim of Helenoupolis. Co-celebrants also were, Elder Kamarasis Archimandrite Nectarios, the Hegoumen of Tiberias Archimandrite Parthenios and Hierodeacon Eulogios, the Hegoumens of the Holy Monasteries of Galilee, the Priests of the Shrine of Nazareth and other Priests from the neighbouring communities. The Service was attended by the President of the Nazareth Community, the caretakers of the Church, Mr Caesar Marjie and a large congregation.  

During the service His Eminence Methodios read the address of His Beatitude as per below:

“To His Eminence, Metropolitan Kyriakos of Nazareth, brother in Christ and co-celebrant to Our Mediocrity, a holy greeting in Christ Jesus.

Through this Patriarchal writing, we joyfully participate in the gleeful day of your dearly beloved holiness, on the completion of a prosperous thirty-year ministry in the Holy Shrine of the Annunciation of the Theotokos, and your God-pleasing pastoral care in the God-redeemed Holy Metropolis of Nazareth of our Rum Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, congratulating you with all Our heart.  

It is indeed right that our reverend flock in Nazareth honours your holiness, for which you have given yourself in your Episcopal Office in this Metropolis, defending as a genuine Hagiotaphite Father the irrefutable privileges and rights of the Patriarchate in the Holy Land and this is in praise and benefit of our Holy Congregation and our Rum Orthodox Patriarchate.

Congratulating again your dearly beloved holiness, and wishing many happy returns in health and strength, for the benefit you the flock that has been entrusted to you, we offer you the holy osculation from the All-holy and Life-giving Sepulchre and remain.”

At noon, His Eminence Metropolitan of Nazareth offered a meal and thanked His Beatitude and all who honoured him as follows:

“Your Eminence, Archbishop Methodios of Tabor, Representative of His Holy Beatitude,

Your Eminence, Holy brother Joachim, Metropolitan of Helenoupolis,

Reverend Archimandrites,

Beloved Fathers and Brethren,

The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the intercessions of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and all the Saints, especially of my patron Saint our Holy glorious Father Kyriakos the Anchorite, have deemed us worthy to be present today in the gathering of the Eucharistic Doxology, on the occasion of the completion of thirty years since that blessed day of my entrance in the Holy city of Nazareth as a Metropolitan.

I owe special whole-hearted thanksgiving to His Beatitude, our Father and Patriarch Theophilos, for His Patriarchal support and care about the needs and the difficulties we face in the course of our humble Episcopal ministry in Nazareth, as well as for His Patriarchal blessing today, which is expressed through the presence of two dear brother Bishops, His Eminence Archbishop Methodios of Tabor and His Eminence Metropolitan Joachim of Helenoupolis.

I also thank warmly the President and the members of the Community Council for their good cooperation and precious help in the mission of the Metropolis, and also the President and the members of the Committee of the High Council.

Especially and gratefully, I thank for their love my beloved Priests, who unceasingly day and night serve our communities without complaint, these special and blessed people of Nazareth, and in this manner, we walk down the same path, in prayer, patience and love, in our feeble strength, but nevertheless, amidst God’s Providence. To Him belongs all glory, honour and worship, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.”

From Secretariat-General

On Sunday morning, 10/23 October 2021, during the Divine Liturgy at the Horrendous Golgotha, His Eminence Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina officiated the ordination to Priest of Deacon Elias Spyridon Awad, who has been appointed to serve at the Arab-speaking flock of the Patriarchate in Zdeide, a town of the Acre-Ptolemais district in northern Israel.

Co-celebrants to His Eminence were, the Patriarchal Representative in Acre-Ptolemais Archimandrite Philotheos and Priests from Acre, the ministering Priests of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and Archdeacon Mark. The chanting was delivered by Hierodeacon Simeon and the Service was attended by faithful Christians from Jerusalem and pilgrims, the wife and children of the newly ordained Priest, and members of the Zdeide Community.

Before the ordination His Eminence addressed Fr Elias as follows:                 

“Most devout Deacon Elias,

Beloved Brethren in Christ,    

At the holiest place of the world, the Horrendous Golgotha, the place of the redeeming sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross, and at the All-holy Sepulchre, the place of His Resurrection from the dead, do we observe at this hour the most Holy Sacrament of the Church, the Eucharist, and within it, the Sacrament of your ordination to Priest.

The Church of Jerusalem, the Mother of Churches, by the decision of H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos and the Holy and Sacred Synod, calls you today to receive the Grace of the Holy Spirit and be placed at the second degree of Priesthood.

It is a great honour that the Church gives you, but also great is the responsibility it places upon you because it has appreciated the simplicity and the humility of your manner of living as well as the stability of your repentance. From henceforth, the Church places its trust on you to officiate the Baptism, so that new people will become its members, the Holy Eucharist, to give the Body and Blood of Christ, the Unction, and all other Sacraments, so that the people will find healing in their bodies and souls and be sanctified and saved.  

For the success of your Priestly ministry, you should apply the Lord’s words, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation” (Matt. 26:41), and “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life” (John 5:39). Study the Holy Bible and preach it to the faithful, like it is explained by the old God-bearing Fathers of the Church, such as Basil the Great, John Chrysostom, Gregory the Theologian, and more recent ones, like Saint Nectarios.

The Church draws your attention so that you do not deviate either to the right or to the left, but to walk the straight path of Orthodoxy, keeping in fear and great attention the consignment that will be given to you in a few minutes.

At the hour of your ordination as well as during the full course of your priestly ministry, be sure that you will be accompanied by the prayers of H.H.B. the Patriarch of Jerusalem and of my mediocrity, of the Patriarchal Representative in Acre Archimandrite Philotheos and other co-celebrant Priests who are your brethren, of your blessed father Presbyter Spyridon, your wife and children, who you brought up “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4), the representatives of Zdeide Community, which has been appointed as the place of your ministry, and all who honour you with their presence.

In fear of God and trust, kneel and pray to receive the Grace of the Holy Spirit and become a chosen vessel of God, a new man and preacher of His wonders.”              

After the Dismissal of the Divine Liturgy, the newly ordained Priest paid his respect to His Beatitude, while His Beatitude admonished him in fatherly and spiritual words for the encouragement of his ministry in the Zdeide community.

From Secretariat-General