Haaretz
Nisan 28, 5765
The highest decision-making body
of the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem fired Patriarch Irineos I on
Friday over his suspected involvement in the sale of church land to Jewish
investors, a church official said.
Irineos, who has denied the
allegation, had no immediate comment. Archimandrite Attallah Hanna said
the patriarch left the church after the 18-member Holy Synod made its
decision.
"We don't know where he went," he said.
Leaders of
the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem announced Thursday that they were
breaking off all contact with Patriarch Irineos I because of suspicions of
corruption, and that they considered him dismissed.
Thirteen
bishops and 25 archimandrites of the church made the announcement in a
statement faxed to The Associated Press. Their dismissal is not binding,
but it ratcheted up internal pressures on Irineos to step down over the
reported leasing of prime church property to Jewish groups in Jerusalem's
Old City for 198 years.
In their letter Thursday, the rebel clergy
accused Irineos of being "incorrigibly caught up in a syndrome of lying,
religious distortion, degradation of the patriarchate's role, and
irresponsible mishandling of patriarchate property."
They declared
him persona non grata, and served notice that they would bring legal
proceedings against him and his associates "to revoke all suspect deals
and restore all that was sold."
Earlier this week, Irineos
described his opponents in the patriarchate as "worms and trash," adding:
"Let them cut off my hands if I have stolen anything. The mud they have
slung as me is still fresh, but it will dry and fall off."
Dimitri
Diliani, head of a coalition of Palestinian Christians, called the
clergymen's revolt on Thursday a "historic move of disobedience" that
would further isolate Irineos and create more pressure on him to either
resign or convene the patriarchate's Holy Synod, which would have the
authority to dismiss him.
Palestinians, who consider the alleged
land deals a betrayal, have held several protests against Irineos outside
the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, demanding he step
down.
Archbishop Aristarchos, the acting chief secretary of the
Holy Land patriarchate, urged Irineos last month to step down, and
Thursday said the letter was "an act of necessity to take the patriarchate
out of the impasse."
An official from the Ecumenical Patriarchate
in Istanbul said the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians,
Bartholomew I, was carefully watching developments in Jerusalem but hasn't
interceded.
"This is an internal affair of the church of
Jerusalem," the cleric said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Bartholomew, he said, "is following the news carefully ... So far he has
not intervened."
At a news conference last month, Irineos told
reporters he was unaware of the alleged transactions, and said he was not
involved in any sale. The church also denied that any long-term lease had
been signed, though one church official, speaking on condition of
anonymity, said a 99-year lease had been signed.
Media have
reported that the leases were signed by Irineos confidant Nikos Papadimas,
a church financial officer who vanished more than three months
ago.
Papadimas is wanted in Greece after Greek Orthodox Church
officials in Athens accused him of absconding with $800,000 in church
funds. His wife is wanted on separate charges of money-laundering.
Separately, a European arrest warrant has been issued against Papadimas,
Greek officials said.