Jordan Receives Official Notification of Greek Orthodox Patriarch's Dismissal

Published by The National Herald, May 8, 2005

AMMAN, Jordan May 8 (Associated Press)- Jordan has received a document demanding the dismissal of Greek Orthodox Patriarch Irineos I over his alleged role in a controversial Jerusalem property deal, a church official and lawmaker both said Sunday.

The document, signed by 13 of the 17-member Synod of the Greek Orthodox Church inJerusalem, was sent to Jordan's Interior Minister.

Jordan, Jerusalem's holy site custodian, has said it would accept the dismissal if two-thirds of the synod's members backed the decision. It was unclear when it may make tis decision. Irineos has been quoted as saying he was determined to fight the dismissal.

"A decision by (Jordan's) prime minister, followed by a royal decree endorsing the document, is required to put the dismissal into effect," explained parliamentarian Odeh Qawas, who heads Jordan's parliamentary committee following up the investigation into Irineos' alleged sale of property to Israel.

Qawas also alleged another church official was caught stealing important documents and money from a safe in the Jerusalem's church's head office. No comment was immediately available from the church.

The property transactions Irineos allegedly was involved in are politically explosive because Palestinians see them as abetting Jewish settlement groups in their efforts to expand their presence in east Jerusalem. Most of the church's flock in the Holy Land are Palestinians.

Irineos has denied allegations that he was involved in leasing church property, including two hotels in the Old City, to an Israeli firm.

The church complies with a 1958 Jordanian law that bans any sale of church land and property. Jordan ruled east Jerusalem and the West Bank until Israel seized the territories in the 1967 Middle East War. Israel has since annexed east Jerusalem.

Jordan renounced its claims to east Jerusalem in 1988, but maintains custody of holy shrines there.

Father Christopher Hanna, deputy of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Northern Jordan, also said he delivered a copy of the document demanding Irineos' dismissal to Interior Minister Awni Yirfas.

A copy of the three-page document obtained by The Associated Press asked Jordan to recognize a church committee's efforts to elect a new patriarch.

Under a 1994 peace treaty with Israel, Jordan was given the responsibility of overseeing the affairs of Christian and Islamic holy shrines in Jerusalem.



Volume 7 Number 19 - Tuesday, May 10th, 2005	A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY