Jerusalem Crisis Discussed at Phanar

Published by The National Herald, April 8, 2005

ATHENS – Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Panagiotis Skandalakis was dispatched to Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) last weekend in order to consult with His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on the evolving Church crisis in Jerusalem.

During their meeting at the Phanar, Mr. Skandalakis and the Patriarch discussed options to bring about a resolution of a highly volatile situation which threatens vital Hellenic and Orthodox interests throughout the Near East.

The Greek Government maintains close ties with the Jerusalem Patriarchate, which has a legal presence in Greece.

Mr. Skandalakis, who is the Greek Government’s liaison to the four ancient Eastern Patriarchates (Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem), reportedly asked the Ecumenical Patriarch to intervene and help restore order to the Church in Jerusalem, which is under mounting pressure from its Arab communicants because of alleged land sales to Israelis.

"The situation that has arisen in the Patriarchate of Jerusalem has warranted my presence in Constantinople, as a consultation with the Ecumenical Patriarch – the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christianity – on this very important issue and was deemed necessary by the Greek Government," Mr. Skandalakis said, underscoring however that "the Greek Government consistently supports all the Orthodox Patriarchies, but does not impose its views on these ecclesiastical institutions of ecumenical Hellenism."

Patriarch Eirineos of Jerusalem appears to be losing the Government’s support, and Reliable sources have told the National Herald that Bartholomew agrees Eirineos’ position is "untenable."

In a public statement last week, Foreign Ministry Spokesman implicitly suggested that Eirineos resign, urging him to face his "historic responsibility" over the alleged land scandal in Jerusalem.

"We call on Patriarch Eirineos to realize the gravity of the situation… and assume his historic responsibility," Mr. Koumoutsakos said on March 30.

"The only concern of the Greek Foreign Ministry is to safeguard the institution of the Patriarchate under the existing status quo… beyond personalities and personal ambition," he added.

Mr. Koumoutsakos’ blunt statement followed a Foreign Ministry report criticizing Eirineos, which said he refused to cooperate fully with a delegation of Greek diplomats and legal experts, visiting Jerusalem last week to investigate the allegations.

After meeting with Bartholomew at the Phanar, Mr. Skandalakis told reporters that the Ecumenical Patriarch’s universally accepted position as "first among equals" in Orthodox Christianity’s hierarchy provides that the Ecumenical Patriarch can exercise certain privileges, which may ultimately prove to be the only way out of the dire straits in which the Jerusalem Patriarchate currently finds itself.

Bartholomew is the 270th successor of the Church in Constantinople, which Orthodox Christian tradition maintains was founded by Saint Andrew the Apostle in Byzantium two millennia ago, and the spiritual leader of approximately 300 million faithful worldwide. The Ecumenical Patriarch occupies the First Throne of the Orthodox Church and presides among all Orthodox Primates. As such, Mr. Skandalakis said, he has the historical and theological responsibility to initiate and coordinate actions among the Patriarchates of Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, Moscow, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria and Georgia, as well as numerous archdioceses throughout the world.

This is not the first time in recent memory that the Ecumenical Patriarchate has been called upon to restore order in Jerusalem. Almost a decade ago, a Supreme Synod (Orthodox Christianity’s highest ecclesiastical authority) was convened in Constantinople in order to address the severe crisis, which had erupted in the Holy Land during the late Patriarch Diodoros’ reign. At the time, the Supreme Synod had censured Patriarch Diodoros with an interruption of communion with the other Orthodox Churches, while Metropolitan Timotheos of Lydis (currently the Metropolitan of Vostron) was removed from his throne, as the Synod had found him primarily responsible for the disturbance.

A Supreme Synod of Orthodox hierarchs can only be convened by the Ecumenical Patriarch in Constantinople. But this can only be done subsequent to a relevant request submitted to the Ecumenical Patriarchate by the Holy Synod of the Jerusalem Patriarchate which, for the time being at least, seems highly unlikely.

The embattled Eirineos’ supporters in Jerusalem’s Holy Synod still comprise a comfortable majority, and the chances they will actively solicit the involvement of the other Orthodox churches in what they insist on portraying as a "domestic" problem are minimal.

Subsequent to the Ecumenical Patriarch’s meeting with Mr. Skandalakis, sources close to the Ecumenical Patriarchate reiterated that Constantinople has no intention to intervene in the Jerusalem crisis at the present time, as "foreign interventions typically create more problems than they solve," and that a problem "created in the Holy Land should be solved there."

There is a great deal of concern that the centuries-old presence of Hellenism in Jerusalem has been placed in jeopardy, however, and that the current crisis serves the longstanding objectives of several "nationalist" churches, which have been anxious to rid the Jerusalem Patriarchate of its Hellenic character.

In his only public commentary on the evolving crisis in Jerusalem to date (March 3), Bartholomew appealed to all of the world’s religious leaders and denominations to avoid raising any issues which would create additional tension in an already volatile region.

In an interview with the Greek press last Sunday, April 3, he said that his resignation was "not an option," and continued to insist that Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens had sent the wanted fugitive Apostolos Vavilis to Jerusalem. The Patriarch of Jerusalem also continued to insist that he had not sold any real estate to Israeli business interests, emphasizing that he "would have to be very naïve to betray the Holy Sepulcher," and that the crisis had been the work of his detractors, among which "several hierarchs of our Church" can be counted.

Eirineos appears to be holding his ground against those demanding that he relinquish his archiepiscopal throne. Some 40 Arab Orthodox protesters jeered the Patriarch as he left the church after services last Sunday, while approximately an equal number of supporters greeted him with cheers of "AXIOS (You are Worthy)."

The protesters insist that Eirineos has betrayed their trust, following allegations in the Israeli press that he had attempted to sell Church property to Israelis. As such, the protesters argue, Eirineos should step down.

Eirineos has denied authorizing the long-term lease of Church property in Jerusalem, despite claims to the contrary by his former financial manager, Nikos Papadimas.

Mr. Papadimas told a Greek newspaper on March 27 that the Patriarch had personally authorized the property lease. Another former Greek envoy claimed he had been promised $400,000 to ensure Eirineos’ election in 2001.

The charges have infuriated Palestinians who fear the alleged deal – while not illegal – would expand Israeli control of Jerusalem.

The allegations were first made earlier last month by the Israeli newspaper, Maariv.

The Jerusalem Patriarchate, which owns large amounts of property, is one of the main Christian denominations in the Holy Land, with about 100,000 mostly Arab faithful. Eirineos and most of his hierarchy are Greek.

Jordan and the Palestinian Authority have launched separate investigations into the alleged lease of two hotels and other property in the mainly Palestinian Old City of Jerusalem to Jewish groups.

At press time, no such land sales has been confirmed, while any transactions that had been signed by Mr. Papadimas, who is currently being sought by Interpol on an outstanding arrest warrant, have been deemed null and void, as the Holy Synod had not approved the latter’s power of attorney to represent the Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

The above incorporates information from a story posted by the Associated Press on March 30: "Greece adds pressure on Jerusalem Patriarch to quit."



Volume 7 Number 15 - Tuesday, April 12th, 2005	A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY