CONSTANTINOPLE – Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem sent a three-member delegation representing him to His All Holiness Ecumenical patriarch Bartholomew, on Saturday, February 15, in a desperate attempt to invite the Patriarch to preside over the Synaxis of the Prelates he is going to convene to February 25 in Amman, Jordan. The group included Metropolitans Isychios of Capitolias, Timotheos of Bostra, Exarch of the Holy Sepulchre in Cyprus, and Archbishop Nektarios of Anthedon, Vicar of the Holy Places of Jerusalem.
The representatives of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem were welcomed and warmly received by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Moreover, they informed him and the Synodic Hierarchs of the initiative of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem to convene a meeting of the Heads of the Orthodox Churches in Amman. The Ecumenical Patriarch made it clear once again, however, that the initiative of the Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem was not authorized. The representatives conveyed brotherly greetings to the Ecumenical Patriarch from the Patriarch of Jerusalem and they gave him a gift and a letter.
Patriarch Bartholomew read the letter quickly and placed it back in the envelope.
The National Herald has learned that Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew told them that he is not going to be present to the Synaxis and alerted them on the huge responsibility the organizers will bear for the harm which it will cause to the unity of the Orthodox Church.
Patriarch Theophilos has been troubled by the statement of the Ecumenical Patriarch that he is putting the unity of Orthodoxy in danger and he no longer calling it a ‘synaxis’. Rather, he now refers to “a family get together of the Prelates aiming to dialogue.”
The delegation attempted to reassure the Phanar that “this family get together of the Prelates” will “not go anywhere,” and in the announcement that they will issue, they will declare that the granting of Autocephaly to local Orthodox Churches is the privilege of the Ecumenical Patriarch, but there is lingering distrust at the Phanar and Theophilos is being urged not to proceed.
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