Haaretz
Cheshvan 20, 5766
Surrounded by hundreds of
hushed supporters crowded into one of Christianity's holiest sites,
Theofilos III was sworn in Tuesday as the new Greek Orthodox Patriarch in
the Holy Land, despite Israel's delay in approving the
appointment.
Theofilos succeeded Irineos, who was ousted in May
amid allegations he leased church land in East Jerusalem to Jewish groups
interested in expanding the Jewish presence there. The long-term leases
enraged the church's predominantly Palestinian flock, which claims East
Jerusalem as the capital of a future state.
World Orthodox leaders
stopped recognizing Irineos' authority in May, but he continued to resist
demands to step aside, saying a former aide signed the leases without his
knowledge. Theofilos, who had been the metropolitan of Tabor in the
Galilee, was elected to replace Irineos in August by the church's Holy
Synod in a 14-0 vote.
Theofilos had served previously as a Greek
Orthodox Church envoy in Qatar and reportedly has close ties to the Greek
Orthodox leadership in the United States.
Installation of a new
patriarch traditionally requires the approval of Israel, Jordan and the
Palestinians. Jordan and the Palestinians have approved Theofilos'
appointment, but an Israeli committee was still
deliberating.
Church officials voiced optimism the crisis would be
solved soon.
"We hope Israel will recognize him, because all the
Orthodox world and neo-Orthodox world has recognized him," said
Christodoulos, a metropolitan at the Greek Patriarchate in
Jerusalem.
He said the church had good relations with Israel, but
asked that the country not involve itself in the inner workings of the
church.
The Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request for
comment.
Theofilos, which means "God's friend" in Greek, was
installed in a ceremony Tuesday morning inside the Church of the Holy
Sepulcher, which stands over the reputed sites of the crucifixion of
Christ and the tomb where he was buried.
Hundreds of clergymen,
worshippers and tourists flocked into the ancient church, clapping and
waving Greek and Cypriot flags as Theofilos strode down the aisle for his
anointment. The crowd repeatedly chanted "Axios," Greek for "you are
worthy."
"It gives real spiritual insight," said Marina Emmanouil,
35, who came from Athens to attend the ceremony. "I don't think I will
have the chance to see this again in my life."
Dozens of
black-garbed clergymen then marched in a procession toward the Greek
Patriarchate, accompanied by a heavy police presence through the winding
streets of the Old City of Jerusalem for a ceremony attended by Greek
President Karolos Papoulias.
Irineos, who continues to occupy the
patriarch's quarters, did not attend the ceremonies.
Christodoulos
compared Irineos to the late Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and
deposed Iraqi tyrant Saddam Hussein.
"We are a democracy and we
will not be led by a man who is mentally ill," he said. "The brotherhood
rejected him. No one can bring him back."