Church of Jerusalem

Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem
Founder(s)	The Apostles
Autocephaly/Autonomy declared	Traditional
Autocephaly/Autonomy recognized	692 by Quinisext Council
Current primate	Patr. Theophilus
Headquarters	Jerusalem, Israel
Primary territory	Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States (except Kuwait)
Possessions abroad	United States, South America
Liturgical language(s)	Greek, English, Arabic
Musical tradition	Byzantine Chant
Calendar	Julian
Population estimate	130,000
Official website	Church of Jerusalem

The Church of Jerusalem is the "Mother of all Churches" of all of Christendom, because it was in Jerusalem that the Church was established on the day of Pentecost with the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Jesus Christ. From Jerusalem the gospel of Christ was spread to the world.

As Christianity spread, and the persecutions of the Jews by Roman authorities in their homeland increased, causing the dispersion of many of the Christians from Jerusalem, the import of this church and its impact on the ongoing life of the whole Church diminished. As other churches gained ascendency, namely the Churches of Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, and Antioch, the Church of Jerusalem was accorded a place of honor with them among the five original Christian patriarchates of the Christian world, called the Pentarchy.

The Church of Jerusalem remains the custodian of many of the holy sites in Jerusalem and environs, sometimes jointly with Roman Catholic or Coptic or Armenian Christians, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

Lately there has been criticism of the church leadership by Palestinian faithful, who accuse the Greek-speaking and largely Greek-born leadership of squandering their money and treating their Arabic-speaking members as second-class faithful.

Following the recent deposition of Patriarch Irenaios I amidst scandals regarding the transfer of land to Jewish control, the Holy Synod of the church named as their temporary primate His Eminence Metropolitan Cornelius (Rodousakis) of Petra. On August 22, 2005, the Holy Synod unanimously elected the former Archbishop of Tabor, Theophilus, as the 141st Patriarch of Jerusalem.

Places of importance

• The Holy Monastery of St. Catherine (Mount Sinai), also believed to be the site of the Burning Bush from the Old Testament.

Related articles

• New Church of St. Mary, the Theotokos (Jerusalem)

External links

Structure

• Official Website of the Church of Jerusalem (Main page)

- Greek Orthodox Church of St. George, Taybeh (Palestine)

Metochia of the the Holy Sepulcher in America

1. Monastery of the Holy Cross (Long Island, New York)
2. Monastery of the Glorious Ascension (Resaca, Georgia)
3. Link to directory of the Jerusalem Orthodox Communities in America

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• Interviews with Christians in the Holy Land (Ancient Faith Radio)
• Eastern Christian Churches: The Patriarchate of Jerusalem by Ronald Roberson, a Roman Catholic priest and scholar
• Rum Orthodox Ivri: The Website of the Eastern Orthodox Christian Community within Israeli Society, served by Fr. Alexander Winogradsky, a priest of Jewish ethnicity serving mainly in Hebrew
• Epitropia of the Holy Sepulchre in America
• The Greek Orthodox Community of Jerusalem / Greek Colony, Jerusalem, Israel

Jaffa Gate Deal and Recognition Issues 2004-2007

• Moran, Dominic. The Battle for Jerusalem. ISN Security Watch. 18 May, 2005.
• Morenatti, Emilio. An Unorthodox Deal?. TIME, 29 May, 2005.
• Rapoport, Meron. Burnt Offerings. Haaretz.com, 9 February, 2007.
• The Associated Press. Embattled Jerusalem Patriarch says he is still supported by Jordan's King. International Herald Tribune. 14 May, 2007.
• Solution looming in Jerusalem Orthodox Church row. Earthtimes.org, 12 June, 2007.
• Jordan reverses decision over Jerusalem Patriarch. Athens News Agency. 14 June, 2007.
• Lefkovits, Etgar. Greece's Government urges Israelis to recognize Greek Orthodox Patriarch. The Jerusalem Post. 2 July, 2007.
• Mackenzie, Nick. Athens appeals to Israelis over Patriarch. Religious Intelligence, 3 July, 2007.
• Theros, Patrick Nickolas (US Ambassador). Jerusalem and Greece: Dora’s Staunch Defense of Religious Freedom Gives Church in Holy Land Respite.The National Herald, 20 July, 2007.
• Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Briefing of Greek government regarding the Israeli Cabinet’s recognition of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch.16 December, 2007.
• European Jewish Press. Israel takes two years to recognise Greek Patriarch. 18 December, 2007.
• Israel National News. Pro-PLO Greek Orthodox Church Leader Ousted. 19 December, 2007.