Shibli, Israel, August 21, 2025
For the third consecutive year, Israeli police imposed strict limitations on pilgrim access to Mt. Tabor for the Orthodox celebration of the Transfiguration of Christ, citing security concerns as thousands of faithful were prevented from ascending the holy mountain.
The Patriarchate of Jerusalem celebrated the Feast of the Transfiguration on Tuesday, August 19, at the site where Jesus Christ revealed His Divine glory to the disciples Peter, James, and John. However, the celebration took place under restrictive measures that significantly reduced attendance, reports the Orthodoxia News Agency.
According to a statement from the Israeli Police Northern District Commander Simon bin Shabu, mass pilgrimages were prohibited on the grounds that organizers had not taken required safety measures. Sources in Israel suggest the restrictions were also influenced by the recent resignation of the Interior Ministry representative responsible for organizing official religious events and issuing permits.
However, as the Patriarchate stated last year, this was not an isolated incident, but only another in a long line of moves against the freedom of worship of Christians in the Holy Land.
Despite the limitations, His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem presided over an outdoor All-Night Vigil on the eve of the feast, concelebrated by His Eminenece Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina and Metropolitan Makarios of Ptolemais-Acre. The service included representatives from the Moscow and Romanian Patriarchates, along with Arabic, Russian, and Romanian-speaking priests.
In his homily, the Patriarch emphasized the theological significance of Christ’s Transfiguration as both a revelation of Divine glory and a prefiguration of the Resurrection. “Christ partially unveiled His Divine nature, as He willed, and revealed unto His disciples who knew Him, the God dwelling within Him,” he preached, quoting St. John Chrysostom through St. Gregory Palamas.
The Patriarch called the faithful to be illuminated by the Uncreated Light of the Transfiguration, noting that the event “foretells the glorious day of Pascha on the one hand, which will lead Christ at the peak of His Divine glory through the Passion on the Cross.”
On the feast day itself, His Eminence Metropolitan Kyriakos of Nazareth presided over the morning Divine Liturgy, attended primarily by local Christians from neighboring towns and villages in northern Israel. The monastery abbot, Archimandrite Hilarion, who had renovated the monastery and painted its icons, hosted a festive meal for the hierarchs and faithful.
The Patriarchate has repeatedly protested these access restrictions in recent years, viewing them as obstacles to one of Christianity’s most significant celebrations. The limitations mark a continuing pattern of restricted access to holy sites that has drawn concern from Orthodox Christian communities worldwide.
Below is a video from the All-Night Vigil celebrated by Pat. Theophilos:
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