Non – Orthodox in the Holy Land

Non-Orthodox Armenians, Latin, Copts and Abyssinians in the Holy Land

At the sanctified places today beyond the Orthodox Christian communities there are also other patriarchates and Ecclesiastic missions, not belonging to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, such as the Patriarchates of the Armenians and of the Latin and the archbishoprics of the Copts, Syrians and Abyssinians.

The Armenians until the 7^th century belonged to the Eastern Orthodox Church, living as people of the same faith together with the Orthodox Christians. However, in the 7^thcentury, the Armenians converted to the heresy of Monophysitism. Since then they are recognized as an independent Armenian Church and from 1311, the year they declared themselves as a Patriarchate, they coexist with the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate.

The Latin clergy and western monasticism appeared at the Holy Land in 1099 with the capture of Jerusalem by the Crusaders, when the Latin Patriarchate was also created, by expelling the Orthodox Patriarch. However, their Patriarchate was disbanded with the departure of the Crusaders from the Holy Land , to be re-created 500 years later in 1847. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem aims to advance the religious interests of the Western Church at the Holy Land and be responsible for the catholic residents in the area of Palestine and of their Churches.

The Copts of Egypt and the Abyssinians (Ethiopians) while being Christians, they joined the heresy of Monophysitism and were thus separated from the Eastern Orthodox Church. It concerns two Christian communities which live separately and each is organized as an independent archbishopric. However, they both maintain privileges at the shrines of Jerusalem that were ceded to them by the regime of the Mameluks.