Russian Orthodox Patriarch Visits Holy Land

Patriarch Cyril (Gundyayev) of Moscow has undertaken a visit to the Holy Land, meeting with Patriarch Theophilus III (Giannopoulos) of Jerusalem as well as with representatives of the Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Missions in Jerusalem of both the Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR). More here and here.

Bulgarian Government Supports Jerusalem Church Initiative

An initiative launched in western Bulgaria for the construction of a Bulgarian Orthodox representation church in Jerusalem has gained the support of the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church attempted in the past to establish a representation in the Holy City, but was later forced by the Bulgarian Communist regime to halt its efforts. More here.

Russian President Visits Holy Places in Jerusalem, Bethlehem

As part of his recent state visit to Israel Russian President Vladimir V. Putin has made a pilgrimage to the holy places of Jerusalem and Bethlehem, stopping at the Church of the Resurrection (the "Holy Sepulchre") in Jerusalem and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. In Jerusalem the president was welcomed by Patriarch Theophilus III (Giannopoulos) of Jerusalem and representatives of the Armenian Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem. More here.

Pre-Vatican II Mass Returns to the Holy Land

Patriarch Fouad Twal of Jerusalem of the Roman Catholic Church has authorized the celebration of the traditional Roman Mass in his diocese, the first such formal authorization to be granted in the Holy Land since the modernization of the Roman Catholic Church's services in the 1960s. More here.

ROCOR Metropolitan Visits Holy Land

Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral) of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) has made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, during his time there meeting with Patriarch Theophilos III (Giannopoulos) of Jerusalem and concelebrating the services with the heads and clergy of both the patriarchal and synodal Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Missions in Jerusalem. More here and here.

Metropolitan Hilarion Visits the Holy Land

Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk has begun a visit to the Holy Land. As part of his stay in the Holy Land Metropolitan Hilarion met with Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem to discuss issues concerning relations between the Jerusalemite and Russian Orthodox Churches as well as the Local Orthodox Churches generally. After his stop at the Jerusalem Patriarchate Metropolitan Hilarion went on to visit the seat of the patriarchal Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem at the Holy City's Cathedral of the Trinity, where he met with Archbishop Aris (Shirvanian), who serves as director of ecumenical and foreign relations for the autonomous Armenian Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. More here, here, and here.

Israel, Jordan, Dispute Site of the Lord's Baptism

Jordan and Israel are disputing which country occupies the site of the baptism of the Christ in the Jordan River, with each claiming to have the true site. Israel recently renovated its site, which is technically in the West Bank and therefore part of Palestine, and opened it to regular visits by pilgrims, but the authenticity of Jordan's site has been affirmed by both the recent Amman meeting of representatives of the Alexandrian, Antiochian, Jerusalemite, and Cypriot Orthodox Churches and by the Roman Catholic Church. More here.

Jerusalem Patriarch Interviewed on Issues in the Holy Land

In an interview Patriarch Theophilos III (Giannopoulos) of Jerusalem has said that his largely Arabic-speaking Palestinian Orthodox flock should "refer back to [its] roots" in side-stepping a question about ethnic Greeks' dominance of the Orthodox hierarchy in the Holy Land (which consists of seventeen ethnic Greeks and one ethnic Arab despite the largely Arab and Russian composition of the laity), also saying that one "cannot disregard the Byzantine presence that was here [in the Holy Land]."

In the same interview the patriarch strongly reaffirmed the Church of Jerusalem's involvement in the World Council of Churches and answered questions about the political and religious tensions in the Holy Land. The full interview can be found here.

Jordanian Orthodox Protest Greek-Dominated, Pro-Israeli Hierarchy

In a protest Sunday evening faithful of Jordan's Metropolis of Philadelphia based in Amman called for the Arabization of the hierarchy of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem and the resignation of Patriarch Theofilos III (Giannopoulos) in favor of a Palestinian or Jordanian Arab native to the Holy Land. The protests were organized after Patriarch Theofilos renewed land use agreements with the Israeli government that he had indicated he would cancel when he replaced deposed Patriarch Irenaios (Skopelitis) in 2005. More here.

Jerusalem Patriarchate Refutes Romanian Claims of Dialogue, Confirms Defrocking of Jericho Priest

The Church of Jerusalem has rejected the Romanian Orthodox Church's claims to have sincerely engaged in dialogue with the Jerusalem Patriarchate over its parish and institutions in Jericho, noting that throughout its dialogues the Church of Romania had remained firm in its intention to establish the Jericho parish under its direct jurisdiction and not as a representation as is normally done in keeping with the canons. The Jerusalem Patriarchate also confirmed its defrocking of Archimandrite Ieronim (Creţu), the priest at the Jericho parish, on the grounds that he had been illicitly serving in the Holy Land without the blessing of the Church of Jerusalem and had continued to do so despite repeated warnings. More (in Greek) here.

Romanian Orthodox Church Defends Jericho Parish

The Romanian Orthodox Church has released an article outlining the "necessity" of its establishment of a Romanian Orthodox parish and institutions in the Holy Land. Among other things the article attacks the exclusive control of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem by Greeks (an already widely recognized problem) and claims a verbal assurance from Patriarch Diodoros (Karivalis) of Jerusalem for the Jericho parish. (Why in the past 10 years the Romanian Orthodox Church has pursued the change of this verbal assurance into an actual approval of the parish by the Church of Jerusalem is not stated.) More (in Romanian) here.

Churches Protest Israeli Taxation

The leaders of Israel's churches are protesting the Israeli government's decision to tax ecclesiastical properties, saying that the move will destabilize the delicate Ottoman-era status quo currently governing relations between the governments of the Holy Land (the Israeli and Jordanian governments and the Palestinian National Authority) and its historic churches. More here.

Metropolitan Volodymyr Concludes Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

Metropolitan Volodymyr (Sabodan) of Kiev has returned from his pilgrimage to the Holy Land. During the course of his pilgrimage he met with Patriarch Theophilos III (Giannopoulos) of Jerusalem in the Holy City, concelebrated the festal services for the Annunciation in Nazareth, and celebrated the Divine Liturgy on the Tomb of the Lord in Jerusalem's Church of the Resurrection.

Metropolitan Volodymyr was accompanied on his pilgrimage by Archbishops Filipp (Osadchenko) of Poltava and Alexander (Drabinko) of Pereslavl and Bishop Feodor (Mamasuyev) of Mukachevo and Uzhhorod, all hierarchs of the autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church. More on his travels can be found here.

Ukrainian PM in Jerusalem

Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has begun his visit to the Holy Land with a meeting with Patriarch Theophilos III (Giannopoulos) of Jerusalem. More here.

Alba Iulia Archbishop Leads Holy Land Pilgrimage

Archbishop Andrei of Alba Iulia is leading a pilgrimage from Transylvania to the Holy Land, visiting the establishments of the Romanian Orthodox Church's representation to the Church of Jerusalem and serving at the Church of the Holy Resurrection. More here.

Theophilus III Calls for Peace Between Orthodox Churches of Jerusalem

At a gathering today of hierarchs and clergy of the Church of Jerusalem and the Armenian Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem Patriarch Theophilus III (Giannopoulos) of Jerusalem called for both churches to "work to be examples of peace, non-violence, reconciliation and true symbiosis."

Patriarch Theophilus' words are a breath of fresh air as the Holy Land is the site of regular clashes between the clergy (and even the monks) of the Jerusalemite, Coptic, Armenian, and Ethiopian Orthodox Churches in Israel and Palestine and also between them and the Roman Catholic Church in the area.

The full text of Patriarch Theophilus' speech can be found here.