Eastern Orthodox Bureaucracy Rolls over Jerusalem Patriarch in bid to preserve Political Power
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
ORTHODOX CHURCH LEADERS ISOLATE JERUSALEM PATRIARCH IN CHURCH PROPERTY SCANDAL
World Orthodox Leaders Meet in Istanbul amid Controversy Surrounding Patriarch Irineous
By Michael Ireland
Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service
ISTANBUL, TURKEY (ANS) - May 31, 2005 - World leaders of the Orthodox Church are refusing to recognize the authority of Jerusalem's patriarch. (Pictured: Patriarch Bartholomew is presiding over the "pan-Orthodox" synod which has drawn delegates from the world's 14 main Orthodox churches).
Irineos The First was asked to resign after claims that he had leased church property to Jewish investors in Arab areas.
The Patriarch denies the charge and has refused to step down.
Jennifer Gold, jennifer@christiantoday.com
writing for ChristianToday.com says leaders of the World Orthodox Church gathered in Istanbul on Tuesday to discuss whether to declare a unique unified position on the crisis in the Holy Land and stop recognizing Irineos I, the beset patriarch of Jerusalem. (Pictured: Patriarch Irineos of Jerusalem is under fire for a church property scandal which he denies).
The "pan-Orthodox" synod which was presided by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, drew delegates from the world's 14 main Orthodox churches.
Though members of Irineos' church attempted to remove him from his post due to detonating allegations that his church rented property to Jewish investors in east Jerusalem, the city which Palestinians regard as their capital, he had unrelentingly declined to resign.
As the representatives met in the Cathedral of St. George, Bartholomew prayed for the Holy Spirit to guide the clerics when making their decision. However, it was indefinite as to when the conclusion will come about.
The gathering in Istanbul is the first major pan-Orthodox summit in over ten years. The authority to dismiss Irineos or choose his successor lies with the synod, or the governing council of the Jerusalem church. The gathering has no authority over this. Irineos had refused to assemble the synod together.
However, through this gathering, Irineos may be further secluded by leaders from churches in Greece, Russia, Bulgaria, Romania and other Orthodox countries. Leaders may voice opinions on how to gain the credibility of the church again after the commotion in Jerusalem.
Clerics supporting Irineos' dismissal were represented by six bishops at the synod. They are claimed to have already voted to remove Irineos as patriarch and seek backing from the pan-Orthodox synod which represents the highest authority in the Orthodox Church.
"The Church of Jerusalem has a problem. We solved it,'' said Cornelius, the Metropolitan of Petra. "We want our decision justified by the whole Orthodox Church."
But Franciscos Ragoussis, Irineos' attorney, has indicated that his client will continue to fight his expulsion.
A former financial advisor to the patriarch has also been accused of giving 198-year leases to Jewish investors for two hostels owned by the church and a number of shops in the Old City. This infuriated the Palestinians, who claimed the deals were part of Jewish violation to Arab quarters.
This scandal has brought about a disgrace to the Orthodox Church. The meeting was seen as an effort by Bartholomew and other church leaders to improve their image in the Holy Land.
Eunice K. Y. Or, eunice@christiantoday.com, also writing for ChristianToday.com, reports the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem has appointed a temporary leader to oversee the Church since the scandal-ridden Patriarch Irineos I was sacked on 6th May. Archbishop Aristarchos, General Secretary of the Jerusalem patriarchate, on Monday announced that the Holy Synod had unanimously voted Archbishop Cornelius, Metropolitan of Petra, to take the post until a permanent replacement is found.
"We had to elect a Locum Tenens to be the leader of the church until the election of the new patriarch," Aristarchos told Reuters. "We want to go to elections for a new patriarch quickly but we do not know how long it will take."
The former Patriarch Irineos I was involved in the controversy over a recent deal regarding church property in Jerusalem being leased out to a Jewish group. It is pointed out that it would increase significantly the Jewish presence in east Jerusalem, therefore his action was considered inappropriate from a political angle.
Despite the fierce criticism and pressure from the congregation, the former Patriarch Irineos I has denied any wrong-doing and has refused to resign. However, in a special meeting of Orthodox leaders worldwide in Istanbul last week, the resolution has decided they would no longer recognize Irineos as the patriarch.
The church is not allowed to dismiss the patriarch without the authorization of the governments in areas where his congregation lives - Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority. Meanwhile, the Greek government has reaffirmed the dismissal by issuing Irineos a new passport that changed his title to "former patriarch", Greek Foreign Ministry officials said to the Associated Press.
In the Holy Land, there are around 100,000 Orthodox Christians, most of them Palestinian. The world's Orthodox churches have 300 million followers. In the recent months, the Greek Orthodox Church has continued to be dogged by various scandals involving finance, corruption or clerics’ personal misbehaviors.
ORTHODOX LEADERS WON'T RECOGNIZE IRINEOS I
James C. Helicke, Associated Press Writer, says World Orthodox leaders voted Tuesday to stop recognizing the patriarch of Jerusalem, Irineos I, church officials said, asserting a rare unified position on the crisis facing the church in the Holy Land. (Pictured; Senior Orthodox Church leaders have voted to remove Patriarch Irineos).
Representatives of 12 main Orthodox churches cast their votes during a rare "pan-Orthodox" synod, presided over by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the Istanbul-based spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians.
Irineos has persistently refused to resign despite efforts by his own church members to depose him over explosive allegations that his church leased property to Jewish investors in east Jerusalem, which Palestinians consider their capital.
The vote doesn't directly call for his removal. But the act of refusing to recognize his authority is expected to put additional pressure on him to resign.
"We had to make a sad decision about the Jerusalem patriarch," Bartholomew said.
Irineos was asked to resign during the synod, but he refused, Bartholomew said.
The Istanbul proceedings are the first major pan-Orthodox summit in more than a decade. The gathering has no authority to formally dismiss Irineos or pick his successor. That duty rests solely with the synod, or governing council, of the Jerusalem church. Irineos refuses to convene the synod.
Orthodox clerics supporting Irineos' removal -- represented by six bishops at the synod -- claim they already have voted to remove him as patriarch and sought the endorsement of the pan-Orthodox synod representing the highest authority in the Orthodox church.
Cornelius, the Metropolitan of Petra, said the vote Tuesday would boost efforts by church leaders in the Holy Land to remove the patriarch.
"He can call himself patriarch, but he is not," Cornelius said.
Speaking from Jerusalem, Father Dimitrios, the secretary for the Holy Synod in Jerusalem, said the church in the Holy Land will start working to elect a "locum tenens"-- someone to execute the duties of the patriarch until a new one is installed.
"It's a day of our joy and the day of our freedom," Dimitrios said.
As Irineos was leaving the patriarchate, he was asked by reporters whether he would resign. He said nothing, but shook his finger back and forth as if to indicate no.
Earlier, Bartholomew prayed for the Holy Spirit to guide the clerics in making their decision as they met in the gold-adorned Cathedral of St. George.
Irineos' attorney, Franciscos Ragoussis, signaled earlier Tuesday that his client would continue to fight his ouster.
"No one can try in any legal way to cut us off from our rights, religious liberty and religious duties, and any entity that is going to challenge these is going to be brought in front of international justice," he said in Istanbul.
A former financial adviser to Irineos is accused of giving Jewish investors 198-year leases for two church-owned hostels and several shops in the Old City. Palestinians were outraged, claiming the deals were part of Jewish encroachment on Arab quarters.
The scandal represented an embarrassment for the Orthodox church, and Tuesday's meeting was widely seen as an effort by Bartholomew and other church leaders to improve its image in the Holy Land.
For Bartholomew, a member of Turkey's tiny Greek minority, who is considered the "first among equals" of the Orthodox patriarchs, the meeting also represents an assertion of his authority, which has sometimes come under challenge from Turkey and within the Orthodox church.
PALESTINIAN LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL CALLS FOR ARABIZATION
Meanwhile, www.xinhuanet.com reports from Ramallah that the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) has called for "Arabizing" the Jerusalem Orthodox Church.
In a report posted to www.chinaview.cn ,the Chinese news agency Xinhuanet says the PLC made the call at the end of its session in Ramallah Tuesday, which was aired live on Palestine Satellite TV Channel for the first time.
The sources quoted by Xinhuanet noted that "the PLC calls on the international community, especially the Quartet Committee (on Middle East), to act quickly and exert pressure on Israel to stop its schemes and policies that aim to change the status quo by force."
During the Tuesday session, some PLC members supported the recommendations submitted by Marwan Tobasi, head of the Executive Committee of the Arab Orthodox Conference in Palestine.
Tobasi read a statement before the PLC session and demanded revoking the recognition of Patriarch Irineos I and removing the Greek flags on tops of the Orthodox churches in Palestine because these are national institutions and not Greek colonies as some tend to believe.
He also called for considering the land deal as void and illegal.
Israeli daily newspaper Ma'ariv reported last Friday that two groups of foreign Jewish investors had secretly purchased two large properties run by the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem.
In a one-page article titled "Omar Square in our hands," the daily said a number of overseas Jewish investors paid millions of dollars to purchase a tract of land in Omar Ibn Khatib Square, which lies at the main entrance to Jerusalem Old City.
Initial investigations cleared that the first accused is Nicholas Papademis who was assigned by Jerusalem Patriarch Irineos I. But some Palestinians said that the first accused is Irineos as he assigned Papademis.
The purchase deal, which was carried out with money transferred through various European banks, was made by ideological Jews who claimed attempting to "liberate the lands of Jerusalem."
In a May 1 story titled 'Greek Patriarch Accused of Selling Beit-ul-Moqaddas Land' the IRAN DAILY (www.Iran_daily.com) quotes an Agence France-Presse (AFP) source in BEIT-UL-MOQADDAS, which says the ex-financial manager of Beit-ul-Moqaddas’s embattled Greek Orthodox patriarch alleged that Patriarch Irineos sold politically sensitive land to Jewish investors to prove he was not pro-Palestinian.
Nikos Papadimas, who fled Israel to an unknown destination after the scandal erupted, told the Haaretz newspaper that Irineos wanted to counter Israeli accusations that he was biased towards the Palestinians.
The Israeli government refused to approve Irineos's election as patriarch for two years and alleged that he was close to the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
"The patriarch wanted to prove to the Israeli authorities that he did not support the Palestinians and the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization)," Papadimas told the paper.
The Greek Orthodox patriarchate of Beit-ul-Moqaddas was thrown into crisis in mid-March after reports emerged that the church had sold a large tract of politically-sensitive land in the Old City to ideologically-motivated Jewish investors.
Purchasing property in the Old City, which is in occupied and annexed east Beit-ul-Moqaddas, is fraught with political tensions as Jewish groups often try to obtain properties in Palestinian areas in a major settlement drive.
Irineos has repeatedly denied involvement in the reported sale, which has yet to be verified, but the scandal has provoked fury among the church's mostly Arab flock who have called on him to stand down.
Angry Arab protestors mobbed Irineos last weekend during a procession to celebrate Orthodox Palm Sunday, booing and shouting "Shame on you."
Irineos has instead pointed the finger at Papadimas, who disappeared earlier this year and is wanted by both the Greek authorities and Interpol.
An article for www.haaretz.com by Danny Rubinstein asks: "Who is behind the shady Jaffa Gate deal?"
"Who is the mysterious Jewish party behind the purchase of the Greek Orthodox properties inside the Old City's Jaffa Gate? Could it be the Israeli government itself?" Rubinstein writes.
Rubinstein says it was first reported more than a month ago that the Greek Orthodox patriarch of Jerusalem, Irineos I, had sold two buildings to an unknown Jewish investor -- the Palestinian-run Imperial and Petra hotels, a row of shops and some houses in the Jaffa Gate plaza in Jerusalem.
The report triggered off stormy reactions, Rubinstein says. Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia and other Palestinian Authority officials came out with sharp denunciations of the deal, as did Jordanian leaders. The Greek government also demanded that the matter be examined. In Israel, in contrast, the affair did not stir much interest.
Rubinstein says Irineos denied the report, but not always unequivocally. I didn't sell, I didn't authorize the sale, I was misled, documents were forged. Two weeks ago he published a notice in the media in English, Greek, Arabic and Hebrew, declaring that any power of attorney that he may have given, at any time, is null and void.
In view of the patriarch's denials, the buyers were expected to step forward and say, Yes, we bought the property, we have proof, and present the documents. But the mystery buyers kept mum, Rubinstein says.
He writes the most vociferous protest came from the Arab Orthodox community. Many of its members called for the patriarch's dismissal, deportation from Israel and replacement by an Arab patriarch rather than a Greek one.
Rubinstein continues: "The community has been demanding the Arabization of Jerusalem's Greek Orthodox patriarchy for decades. The patriarch and the 17 members of the Holy Synod of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, all of whom are natives of Greece, manage vast holdings of lands and buildings all over the country. The Arab Orthodox community says the property belonged to their ancestors. The Greek priests did not bring the houses and lands with them on the boat to the Holy Land, they say. The Arabs complain that the Greek priests, some of whom are corrupt, have been selling large chunks of the property to Jews, not allowing Arabs any control of the assets."
'FICKLE AND UNRELIABLE'
Rubinstein says Jordan, Greece and the PA have each appointed an inquiry committee to examine the property sale at the Jaffa Gate. The committees started work immediately and summoned Irineos for questioning. Their swift action was apparently prompted not by the sale itself, the like of which is frequently carried out by the patriarchy throughout Israel, but the properties' sensitive location.
He writes: "The Jaffa Gate Plaza is a site of historic, symbolic and strategic importance. The Tower of David, overlooking the city, stands in the plaza, and the roads leading to the Christian, Armenian and Jewish quarters branch out from it. Kaiser Wilhelm II, for whom the Ottoman rulers destroyed part of the wall to create the New Gate, marched into the city from the plaza in 1898 and the armies of General Allenby, the city's British conqueror, held their parade there at the end of World War I. Most visitors to the Old City enter via the Jaffa Gate. In a sense, whoever owns the property inside the Jaffa Gate holds the key to the entire Old City.
"The Greek Orthodox Patriarchy has already sold -- or rather, leased on a long-term basis properties to Jews in Jerusalem -- in the Rehavia neighborhood, the Valley of the Cross, San Simon in Katamon and Liberty Bell Garden -- and in Jaffa -- on Andromeda Hill and in the Flea Market. But these deals never sparked off demonstrations and protests like the Jaffa Gate deal has."
According to Rubinstein: "The committees' work has brought to light some details of the various governments' positions on the affair. Irineos, summoned to Amman by the Jordanian committee, denied having made the deal and promised to include more Arabs in the properties' management, in accordance with the patriarchy's constitution and regulations. The Jordanians realized that appointing an Arab patriarch would be a significant diplomatic move that could not be made at present, and for the last few days they have been trying to calm things down.
"The Greek Foreign Ministry sent a senior delegation to Jerusalem to question the patriarch and speak with the patriarchy's senior priests. According to reliable sources, the delegation concluded that Irineos should be replaced by another Greek priest because he is weak, isolated, frightened and feels persecuted, and therefore finds it difficult to function.
"The Greeks want a strong patriarch in Jerusalem, to prevent his being replaced by an Arab. The Arabs -- Palestinians, Jordanians and others -- on the other hand, prefer a weaker man at the head of the patriarchy if an Arab patriarch cannot be appointed."
Rubinstein says Irineos was called for a clarification meeting with Qureia, after which he promised to cooperate with the Palestinian inquiry committee. The committee is headed by Dr. Emil Jarjoui, a Christian PLO activist and a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council. The committee consists of leaders of Christian communities from the Bethlehem area and three attorneys.
The Palestinian committee met with Irineos and asked him for documents and information regarding the Jaffa Gate affair. They asked for a power of attorney, to be used to obtain information on changes in the properties' ownership from Israeli institutions such as the Lands Administration, Tax Authority, Jerusalem Municipality and others. Irineos refused. The committee found him fickle, evasive, secretive and unreliable, according to sources. The other committees formed the same impression.
Rubinstein also says Irineos blamed his former financial manager, Nikos Papadimas, who fled Israel some four months ago. Irineos said Papadimas had forged documents and used an authorization he had to sell a shop to make the Jaffa Gate deal.
"Papadimas, who is in hiding in the United States, confirmed to a Greek journalist that he had signed the Jaffa Gate deal, but said he did so at the patriarch's orders. Another senior patriarchy official told the Jordanian committee that Irineos had asked him to sign the deal papers in the patriarchy's name, and when he refused, took the papers to Papadimas."
'A LONG TERM INVESTMENT'
Rubinstein writes: "The leaks from the various committees indicate that the first steps toward selling the Jaffa Gate properties had been made. But to whom? It has been suggested that the investor or investors might be a settlers' group buying up properties in Jerusalem's Arab quarters, or perhaps a government agent.
"According to Papadimas and other sources, the buyer was to pay $135 million to the patriarchy to lease the properties for 99 years. This is a vast sum, not economically justified, since the properties are occupied. Both hotels and all the shops are inhabited by protected tenants who pay very low rent and cannot be evicted, unless they are paid large sums of money. It is hard to believe that a supporter of the settlers would spend so much money, especially if he could not profit from the deal in the foreseeable future.
"Settlers have always demonstrated an impressive ability to raise funds for their cause from government and other public bodies. It is possible therefore that the buyer is none other than the Israeli government, directly or indirectly, as was the case for another patriarchy property -- Saint John's Hospice, adjacent to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The money for that deal came from the Housing Ministry at the instruction of then-housing minister David Levy, acting under the guise of a foreign company.
The Israeli government has a clear interest in taking over properties in the Jaffa Gate area before negotiations on Jerusalem's future, Rubinstein writes. Ownership of the Jaffa Gate area and the Armenian Quarter would enable Israel to create a contiguous Jewish presence from the city's west to the Jewish Quarter and the Western Wall. For Israel, this would be a long term strategic investment.
He says: "It is possible that an agent acting for Israel's government is lying low for fear that exposure would lead to harsh international criticism. Many countries would see the purchase of properties at Jaffa Gate, located outside the pre-1967 borders, as a provocative step in the light of efforts to revive the peace process."
It is not clear why Irineos would get involved in such a deal, arousing the wrath of the Arab world and others, he says. It could be because of acute financial distress. The patriarchy's debt totals tens of millions of dollars. Many church properties have liens against them and the patriarch is having difficulty paying wages and operating church institutions.
Rubinstein concludes: "Meanwhile, Irineos is subject to threats, pressure and extortion by his opponents within the patriarchy, various governments and agents of powerful economic bodies that would not hesitate to employ violence. Irineos seems to be maneuvering among them all, but many believe that the Jaffa Gate affair will finish him off as the patriarch of Jerusalem."
In an earlier Associated Press (AP) report titled: " Orthodox Leaders Prepare for Meeting," the news agency reports from Athens, Greece, on May 23 that leaders of Orthodox churches from Russia to the ancient Christian centers in the Middle East prepared Monday for a rare gathering forced by a crisis in their ranks: The refusal of the Holy Land patriarch to step down even as his authority is shattered by rebel clerics, angry followers and the hair-trigger issue of land rights in Jerusalem.
The AP report continued: "But the meeting beginning Tuesday in Istanbul, Turkey -- the ancient spiritual heart of Orthodoxy -- has ripples beyond the fate of Patriarch Irineos I and the explosive allegations that his church leased property to Jewish investors in east Jerusalem, which Palestinians consider their capital. The clerics must confront a bigger quandary that's been growing for decades: How to balance between Israeli and Palestinian demands and maintain their delicate role as the historical caretakers of Christianity in the Holy Land."
"In this sense, it is an event of significance for the whole Christian world," said Alexander Belopopsky, a spokesman for the Geneva-based World Council of Churches, an inter-religious group that includes the more than a dozen Orthodox churches.
The Orthodox patriarchate in Jerusalem, dominated by Greeks since antiquity, is under pressure from many sides, the AP said.
The agency report states: "There are demands for greater external scrutiny into church finances and its vast land holdings. Israelis worry the church has become too pro-Palestinian. But Orthodox clerics face an undeniable fact: Palestinian Christians are the bulk of their 100,000-member flock and are pressing for more say in church affairs."
"The church cannot ignore the Arabization of the patriarchate," said the Rev. Peter Herrs, a theologian based in Greece. "To continue with a purely Greek leadership is considered wrong in many eyes."
The AP said the Istanbul proceedings are the first major pan-Orthodox summit in more than a decade, adding: "The gathering has no authority to formally dismiss Irineos or pick his successor. That duty rests solely with the synod, or governing council, of the Jerusalem church. And Irineos refuses to convene the synod."
But leading clerics from across the Orthodox world may use the Istanbul meeting to further isolate Irineos and voice opinions about how to regain the church's credibility after months of upheaval in Jerusalem.
According to the AP, a former financial adviser to Irineos is accused of giving Jewish investors 198-year leases for two church-owned hostels and several shops in the Old City. Palestinians were outraged, claiming the deals were part of Jewish encroachment into Arab quarters.
In March, Palestinians spat and shouted at Irineos on Good Friday. This month, a group of Orthodox prelates staged a mutiny against Irineos and broke all contact. The patriarch also has been snubbed by the powers with nominal oversight over the patriarchate: Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan.
The AP says even the Greek Orthodox Church -- the traditional ethnic ally of the Jerusalem church -- has turned its back on the Greek-born Irineos. Meanwhile, the financial officer accused of drafting the leases, Nikos Papadimas, has vanished and is also sought for alleged embezzlement of at least $800,000.
Irineos had stood firm, denying any knowledge of the alleged leases. He traveled to Istanbul to defend himself, the AP said.
The AP report continues: "He'll face the most powerful assembly of Orthodox patriarchs and envoys since 1992, when Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I called a similar meeting to examine critical internal church relations following the Cold War."
Bartholomew, considered the "first among equals" of the Orthodox patriarchs, also will preside over Irineos' hearing. Alongside will be the leadership from churches across the Orthodox heartland -- eastern Europe and Greece -- and historical seats such as Antioch and Alexandria. Russia's Patriarch Alexy II declined to come for health reasons, but sent his top foreign relations official.
"Bartholomew is worried about the image of the church," said Thomas Fitzgerald, a professor at the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts. "He doesn't want this to get messier."
But finding a replacement carries its own complications, the AP explains.
Jordan and the Palestinian Authority will likely demand a greater Arab role in church decision making. All but one of the current senior clerics are Greek by birth or ancestry.
The patriarchate is one of the biggest landlords in the Holy Land -- holding leases that include the sites of Israeli government buildings and large tracts in some of Jerusalem's most coveted neighborhoods. Israel worries about Palestinian Christians exerting greater influence over church policies.
Grant White, principal at the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies in Cambridge, England, said the meeting also could launch a greater drive within the Orthodox Church to find a "structural single voice."
"The question is whether this meeting is really driven to keep this local issue from being a spark in the proverbial tinder box," he said. "This meeting may demonstrate that the Orthodox hierarchy can come together and speak authoritatively when the situation demands it."
Another media report monitored by ANS says an Ecumenical Patriarchate Exarchy arrived in Jerusalem on Friday to meet with the three-member Committee that has temporarily taken over the administration of the Jerusalem Patriarchate, following the renouncement of Patriarch Irinaios by 13 members of the Synod.
Late on Friday night, following the convocation of the Holy Synod, the three-member committee sent a letter containing the decision of the Synod to oust Mr Irinaios to the governments of Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
In the meantime, Mr Eirinaios remains at his home, guarded by four Israeli police officers and his security men, and refuses to resign. Actually, the Fanar Exarchy visited him at his home and talked to him for a few minutes, without reaching any specific outcomes, though.
At the same time, entrance to the Jerusalem Patriarchate has been allowed once again, following the decision of the Hierarchs and Holy Sepulcher members to terminate the takeover they had proceeded with since Friday afternoon.
On Monday, the three-member committee briefed the Holy Sepulcher brotherhood during a meeting that took place at the Patriarchate.
Final approval for Irineos’ removal will be given by the Jordanian government, the media report said.
In past weeks, the Patriarchate has become the focus of controversy and protests that have often spilled over into violent incidents, including during Orthodox Easter week, when the ceremonies and services had to be carried out under bristling security.
According to this media source, the Jerusalem Patriarchate has temporarily been taken over by senior clergymen and primates of the Holy Sepulcher Brotherhood following a quarrel with Irineos after a second attempt to convene the Synod. The meeting was not in quorum.
A letter renouncing Irineos and asking him to give up his seat, signed by senior clerics of the Jerusalem Church, was handed to Irineos on Thursday morning, while a copy was sent to the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul.
The letter also held Irineos responsible for controversial land deals that have incensed Arabs and Palestinians, in which prime pieces of Orthodox Church property -- including the landmark Palestinian-run Imperial Hotel at the entrance to Jerusalem's Old City -- have been leased or sold to foreign Jewish interests.
Before he leaves the Patriarchate, Irineos has warned the Ecumenical Patriarchate that he will refuse to accept a delegation of high-ranking clerics sent by Fanar to investigate the explosive situation at the Jerusalem Orthodox Patriarchate, following revelations that Irineos may have been behind shady land deals that handed Church property in East Jerusalem to Israeli interests.
Irineos apparently voiced his objections to the delegation's visit over the phone, in reply to a letter informing him of the Patriarchate's intentions. He stressed that, without his consent, their presence in Jerusalem was tantamount to interference with the internal affairs of another Patriarchate.
Earlier on Friday, in his first public statement concerning the situation in Jerusalem for several weeks, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew noted that Fanar, as earlier with the Ukraine or in Skopje, had been called on as the "coordinating centre of the Orthodox faith" to help resolve the problems that had arisen in Jerusalem.
"We do this not as critics or judges, but with a great deal of love, offering the ministration of unity," he said.
He stressed that the Ecumenical Patriarchate, was 'First' among Orthodox Churches not in terms of power or authority but in this spirit of ministering the unity of all Orthodox Churches.
"We here strive and struggle to fulfill our Patriarchate's ecumenical mission, which due to the responsibility and its position as first Church in the family of Orthodoxy, has a truly ecumenical mission and is Ecumenical not only in terms of his historic title and name," he added, noting that Fanar sought only to "help and serve."
At the same time, Athens is closely monitoring the latest developments at the Patriarchate, while there is an open line of communication between the government and Greek Consulate in Jerusalem, as well as all the parties involved in the situation.
The media source claims that Deputy Minister Panagiotis Skandalakis held successive meetings on the matter at the Greek Foreign Ministry. It adds that, as per diplomatic sources, the developments at the Jerusalem Patriarchate should not lead to hasty decisions, since the laws binding the existence and operations of the Patriarchate are quite complicated and are based on both international and bilateral agreements.
THREE-MEMBER COMMITTEE TO REPLACE IRINEOS
Another report posted to www.greekembassy.org reveals that the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Fanar, Istanbul was moving toward recognition of the three-member committee appointed by the Holy Sepulcher Brotherhood to replace Irineos as Patriarch of the Jerusalem Orthodox Patriarchate, according to reliable sources.
The web report from the Athens News Agency (ANA) says an announcement from the Patriarchate in Istanbul -- which is traditionally, holds primacy among Orthodox Churches as 'the first among equals' -- was expected to be made in the next few hours, they said. They noted that Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is constantly in touch with a three-member delegation sent to Jerusalem by Fanar on Friday in order to assist in overcoming the crisis.
Earlier on, it was made known that Bartholomew appealed to Irineos to avoid actions that will further exacerbate the crisis, in a fax sent on Monday morning. He particularly advised Irineos to avoid convening the Jerusalem Holy Synod, stressing that this move will further deepen the crisis within the Jerusalem Church.
According to the ANA correspondent in Istanbul, Bartholomew's letter addresses Irineos in the manner that the Ecumenical Patriarchate uses for primates that have for some reason been stripped of their administrative rights, thus indirectly accepting the authority over the Jerusalem Patriarchate of a three-member committee appointed earlier by the Holy Sepulchre Brotherhood.
ANA reports that Irineos effectively lost control over the Jerusalem Patriarchate on Friday afternoon, after a two-thirds majority of the Jerusalem Synod signed a document renouncing him as Patriarch, which ensures his automatic dismissal pending final approval of the Jordanian government.
According to ANA, the Jerusalem Patriarchate was temporarily taken over by senior clergymen and primates of the Holy Sepulcher Brotherhood, who appointed three-member committee among their number to take over the Patriarchate's leadership. A delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate also arrived in Jerusalem on Friday and held talks with Irineos, who has so far refused to resign.
ANA said a letter renouncing Irineos and asking him to give up his seat, signed by senior clerics of the Jerusalem Church, was handed to Irineos on Thursday morning, while a copy was sent to the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul.
The letter also held Irineos responsible for controversial land deals that have incensed Arabs and Palestinians, in which prime pieces of Orthodox Church property -- including the landmark Palestinian-run Imperial Hotel at the entrance to Jerusalem's Old City -- have been leased or sold to foreign Jewish interests.
Eastern Orthodox Land Scandal in Jerusalem - Jerusalem Patriarch Punished for trying to help Jews
ICEJ - Jun 17/05 - THE TUMULT still rocking the Greek Orthodox Church, triggered by an alleged sale of land in Jerusalem to Jewish investors, has re-energized a decades-old campaign by local Arab parishioners with pro-Palestinian sympathies to seize control over the Greek Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The outcome of this struggle could have huge ramifications for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, especially due to the church's extensive property holdings throughout the Holy Land.
The Israeli daily Ma'ariv first broke the story before Easter that the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Irineos I, was suspected of selling several church properties in the Old City to Jewish investment groups, including the The Eastern Orthodox Churches have agreed to no longer recognize Irineos I as Greek Patriarch of Jerusalem. (Photo: Jerusalem Patriarch)
landmark Imperial and Petra hotels inside Jaffa Gate. The Patriarch quickly denied the allegations, blamed a Greek financial advisor, Nicholas Papadimas, for abusing his authority under a limited power of attorney and insisted the transactions lacked necessary approvals from the wider Orthodox council, the Holy Synod.
Though the purported land deals remain shrouded in mystery, Papadimas has fled the scene, leaving Irineos to fight for his job against fuming Arab Orthodox faithful, many of whom have tried for years to install one of their own in what is the most senior clerical position among Jerusalem's traditional churches.
The Greek Orthodox hierarchy, mainly Greek nationals, are the last of the major historic churches in Jerusalem yet to succumb to the PLO's 'indigenization' process. For several decades now, the Palestine Liberation Organization has covertly pressed local parishes to promote native Arab clergymen sympathetic to Palestinian nationalism to positions of leadership within the traditional churches in Jerusalem, which are coveted for their large real estate portfolios and influence with Western Christians.
Under this constant strain, most of the Patriarchates or Bishoprics of Jerusalem are now filled by Arab clerics loyal to the Palestinian cause. Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah heads the local Roman Catholics, the Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem is Riah Abu El-Assal, the Lutheran Bishop is Munib Younan, and the Greek Catholic (Melkite) Archbishop is Lufti Laham. Each has established to varying degrees their pro-Palestinian credentials. Bishop Riah, for example, is still providing sanctuary to Israeli nuclear turncoat Mordechai Vanunu, while Bishop Younan has called for the excommunication of adherents to Christian Zionism, branding it "not only a sick theology but it is a heresy, right along with Aryanism and Nestorianism."
Going largely unreported are the current efforts of Bishops Riah and Younan to gain leverage over autonomous Anglican and Lutheran church properties and institutions in west Jerusalem and elsewhere in Israel.
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YET THE great prize remains the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Since the Greek Orthodox are successors to the ancient Byzantine church, this office inherited in the fifth century not only senior rank among Christian clergy in Jerusalem, but also title to a vast array of Christian holy sites and land estates in Jerusalem and throughout the region. In Israel's capital alone, this includes the hill where the Knesset stands, prime tracts in the upscale Rehavia neighborhood that house the official residences of Israel's president and prime minister, and sizeable chunks of the Old City. Many of these properties are held by the State of Israel under long-term leases that are up for renewal soon.
Thus the death of Greek Patriarch Diodorus I set off a heated succession contest between 16 candidates in early 2001 that took three years to resolve. Irineos emerged victor, but not before charging a rival candidate, Metropolitan Timothy, with hiring someone to kill him.
Following a centuries-old arrangement, the local sovereigns - in this case Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority - all needed to endorse his appointment. When Israeli officials hesitated out of concern for his rumored pro-Palestinian leanings, Jordan and the PA rushed impulsively to confirm Irineos and condemn Israel for 'politicizing' the process. Both are now regretting their decision.
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THE PRESENT land scandal, though yet to be substantiated, has given fresh impetus to the campaign to 'Palestinianize' the Greek Patriarchate. Weeks of protests for the ouster of Irineos and replacement with a local Arab cleric have finally persuaded Jordan and the PA to support his dismissal. Israeli officials have taken a hands-off approach for now, but the opposition to Irineos has gained serious traction, prompting Jordan to issue him a new passport as "former Greek Patriarch of Jerusalem".
A key ringleader of this opposition is a local Orthodox priest with unbridled allegiance to Palestine and avid aspirations to be the first Arab since 1523 to head the Greek Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Archimandrite Theodosius Procession of Greek Orthodox priests in the Old City of Jerusalem (Photo: Jerusalem Patriarch)
'Atallah Hanna stood as a candidate in the recent election won by Irineos and has been a thorn in his side ever since.
Though only a clerk in the Arabic department of the Patriarchate's secretariat, Father Hanna has routinely presented himself to the media as official spokesman for the Greek Patriarch of Jerusalem, and issued numerous statements vilifying Israel and praising the armed intifada, including suicide operations. Among his pronouncements:
"We encourage our youth to participate in the resistance, to carry out martyrdom attacks, and to participate in removing the occupation. There is a need for resistance to the occupation, and for Islamic-Christian cooperation, so that we will remove the foreign Zionist Jewish intruders..." Al-Hayat (London), January 20, 2002.
"Some freedom fighters adopt martyrdom or suicide bombings, while others opt for other measures... Don't expect us to keep [a] distance and watch. We are in the
struggle whether it is martyrdom or any other means... The Muslims and the Christians are one and cannot be separated from the struggle for the liberation of Palestine." Gulf News website, June 20, 2002.
"Don't expect us to keep distance and watch. We are in the struggle (against Israel) whether it is martyrdom or any other means." -Fr. Atallah Hanna
"We declare publicly our blessing, support, and legitimization of the brave Palestinian resistance by any means... Martyrdom operations are an excellent and good way to resist the Zionist invasion." Al-Quds Al-Arabi (London), January 18, 2003.
Though Father Hanna denied making these statements quoted in the Arabic press, he has become something of a folk hero in Muslim eyes. Israel detained him for questioning in 2002 after a reported solidarity visit with Hizb'Allah in Lebanon. Meantime, the Greek Patriarchate eventually tired of distancing themselves from his comments and demoted the outspoken priest.
In response, Father Hanna and other leaders of the Arab Orthodox community blamed Israel for his removal, specifically accusing the Sharon government of pressuring the Greek Church to silence him in order to widen its grip on church properties.
Under these difficult and complex circumstances, the Greek Patriarchate has done admirably well in staying neutral in the ongoing conflict and should be commended for preserving over the centuries many cherished landmarks of the Christian faith in the Holy Land. They need not give in to the current hostile takeover bid, lest a Father Hanna cloud many a title in the land and deliberately drag Israel into an international incident over where President Moshe Katsav lays his head at night.
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