Changes

Patr. Benedict was born in 1892. He was elected patriarch on [[January 29]], 1957, succeeding Patr. Timotheos who had died over a year earlier. With his election the Jordanian government approved a law establishing new regulations concerning relations between the Confraternity of the Holy Sepulchre (Brotherhood of the Sepulchre - Hagiotaphites Brotherhood) and the indigenous Arab community of the Orthodox Church. While the rules gave the Arab [[laity]] a role in the financial affairs of the Patriarchate, and required that the candidates for the offices of the patriarchate be citizens of Jordan, lobbying by the patriarchate with the Jordanians soon resulted in the death of the reforms.