A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY
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| Volume 7 Number 29 - Tuesday, July 19th, 2005 |
A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY |
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The Orthodox Christian Laity
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The Orthodox Christian News Service |
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To the Editor: Elevation of Arab clergy to senior positions in the Patriarchate of Jerusalem is long overdue. To argue that the Greek clergy have handled the issue badly is correct. At this moment, however, the Palestinian Authority and the Jordanian Government prefer to keep the Church in Greek hands because it is the only guarantee against Israeli land seizures. That the former Patriarch Eirineos violated his trust does not change the facts. The Palestinian Authority prefers to sort out the question of ethnic clergy AFTER the establishment of an internationally recognized Palestinian State with its capital in Jerusalem. To characterize Archbishop Saliba as concerned with "egregious and chronic neglect suffered by the Arab Orthodox at the hands of the Greek synod" would be ludicrous were it not so serious. Mr. Donus might wonder why 13 (Palestinian and Jordanian) Orthodox parishes in America refused to remain under Metropolitan Philip Saliba and voluntarily put themselves under Jerusalem’s authority. Apparently, they believed that mismanagement under Greek clergy is preferable to mismanagement under Metropolitan Saliba, even if Arab. He might also ask himself why Metropolitan Saliba threatened to shut down SCOBA if IOCC gave emergency relief assistance during the Intifada to Palestinian Christians through the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Did he prefer they starve rather than accept food from Greek monks? I trust Mr. Donus is also aware that Metropolitan Saliba was disavowed by Patriarch Ignatios of Antioch for establishing an anti-canonical Church in Amman, Jordan as part of his long campaign to destroy the Patriarchate in Jerusalem? Metropolitan Saliba’s interests have been to make Antioch the "Patriarchate of the Arabs," and to bring Palestine and Jordan under Antioch’s control (i.e, from Damascus). Those Palestinian and Jordanian Orthodox who have fought to displace Greek control in Jerusalem want to run their own Church. Respectfully submitted,
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