Jerusalem, February 25, 2021
Photo: jerusalem-patriarchate.info Yesterday, February 24, His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem issued an open letter to the primates of the Local Orthodox Churches on the occasion of the one-year anniversary of the fraternal gathering held in Amman, Jordan on his initiative.
Primates and hierarchs from several autocephalous Churches gathered last year to discuss pressing matters of Church unity, especially against the background of the Patriarchate of Constantinople’s anti-canonical invasion of Ukrainian Church territory.
And now, on the first anniversary of the meeting, Pat. Theophilos expresses the hope that such a meeting will be held again this year, emphasizing that, “After two days of prayer and fraternal discussion, we emerged with greater determination to pursue deeper communion, and to address our common challenges together.”
That the Patriarch issued a letter commemorating last year’s gathering is an encouraging sign for Orthodox unity and conciliarity and the struggle for canonical Orthodoxy. Pat. Theophilos’ initiative to gather his brother hierarchs greatly angered Patriarch Bartholomew, who emphasized what he believes is his sole prerogative to gather Orthodox hierarchs over the need to resolve the problems facing the Church today.
Several other primates followed his lead and refused to meet with their brother primates and bishops, and in the end, only 6 Local Churches sent a delegation, some headed by their respective primates (and His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon of the Orthodox Church in America was not invited because the OCA’s autocephaly is not recognized by the Patriarchate of Jerusalem).
And last month, “Metropolitan” Epiphany Dumenko of the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” declared that several more Local Churches were soon ready to recognize his structure, including the Jerusalem Patriarchate. While messages came from within all the other mentioned Churches that Dumenko’s assertion had no basis in reality, there was nothing from Jerusalem.
Then, in late January, Pat. Theophilos gave an interview to the Serbian outlet Kurir, offering a non-committal answer to a question about the Ukrainian crisis, whereas he previously spoke very clearly in favor of the canonical Ukrainian Church under His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine several times (He even resisted heavy pressure from Constantinople and the schismatics to concelebrate with them on the feast of Theophany in 2019).
Many analysts and commentators felt the Patriarch was signaling that his stance on the Ukrainian crisis was changing. While the letter issued yesterday does not decisively allay those fears, the idea of commemorating last year’s gathering and of suggesting that another be held certainly does not follow the Constantinople party line.
His Beatitude devotes much of his letter to the coronavirus pandemic, which claimed the life of His Holiness Patriarch Irinej of Serbia, who was present at the fraternal gathering in Amman last year.
The faithful in the Holy City of Jerusalem have been uplifted by the prayers of the faithful around the world, the Patriarch writes, and he entreats that continued prayers be offered up to God.
“As we look forward to brighter days this year, we are reminded of our common commitment to gather for prayer and fellowship. We pray that this may be possible later in this year,” Pat. Theophilos writes, emphasizing that they all must pray for one another, that the Local Churches “might bring hope, blessing, and joy to one another.”
Read the full letter below:
Our Orthodox unity is our daily prayer
My dear Brothers, fellow Primates and Concelebrants in the Lord Jesus Christ,
One year ago this week, we gathered in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to build our common fellowship in the pursuit of a dialogue of love for the sake of the unity of the Local Orthodox Churches. After two days of prayer and fraternal discussion, we emerged with greater determination to pursue deeper communion, and to address our common challenges together.
None of us imagined that we were meeting on the cusp of a global health catastrophe the scale of which has not been seen in our lifetimes. We remember before God our late brother Patriarch Irinej of Serbia, who was with us in Jordan, and who is now asleep in the Lord. We pray that God may grant him rest with the saints in the place of refreshment and light. We pray daily, remembering each of you, offering our praise, thanksgiving, and intercessions, and knowing that His grace is sufficient for us, whose power is made perfect in our weakness (cf 2 Cor. 12:9).
This pandemic has required us all to look to our own communities, those whom God has called us to serve, to lift up their hearts from despair and turn to the Lord who gives us hope. For we know that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God (Rom. 5:8-9).
Here in our own Holy City of Jerusalem, we have been strengthened and sustained by your prayers. As has been true across the world, our fellow human beings in the Holy Land have suffered hardship through the pandemic. We ask that you continue to pray for us, as we continually pray for you from the Life-Giving Tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God is merciful, and has given to his creatures the knowledge and skill to develop medicines and vaccines to end this deadly pandemic. As we look forward to brighter days this year, we are reminded of our common commitment to gather for prayer and fellowship. We pray that this may be possible later in this year.
Let us continue to uphold one another in prayer, and seek ways in which our Local Orthodox Churches might bring hope, blessing, and joy to one another. For Saint Paul says, Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfil the law of Christ (Gal. 6:2). We also join together in prayer for our brother, His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew, and our fellow Orthodox primates, and we look forward to serving together to further the unity of our communion.
As we begin our pre-Lenten preparation for the great feast of Pascha, we listen to these words of hymnographer of the Triodion:
Brethren, let us not pray as the Pharisee: for he who exalts himself shall be humbled. Let us humble ourselves before God, and with fasting cry aloud as the Publican: God be merciful to us sinners.
(Vespers of the Sunday of the Publican and Sinner)
With brotherly love in Christ.
THEOPHILOS III
Patriarch of Jerusalem
Holy City of Jerusalem
Wednesday, February 24th, 2021
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