Catholic World News
April 26 2005
Orthodox patriarch at center of mounting Jerusalem dispute
Jerusalem, Apr. 26 (AsiaNews) – Greek Orthodox Patriarch Ireneos of
Jerusalem is the focus of an intense and potentially violent
controversy as the Eastern churches begin their observance of Holy
Week.
Patriarch Ireneos was confronted by angry Orthodox laymen as he left
the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on April 24 following Palm Sunday
services. Shouting demonstrators referred to the Greek Orthodox
leader as “Judas Iscariot” because he has sold properties in the
walled Old City of Jerusalem to Jewish buyers, thus diminishing the
Christian presence there.
The patriarch’s property sales are currently being investigated by
the governments of Greece, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority. But
Israeli courts have consistently backed Ireneos’ contention that he
has the personal authority to dispose of property that has been owned
for generations by the Orthodox patriarchate. The mounting hostility
toward the Orthodox leader has also been fed by reports that one of
his key associates had been arrested in Italy, while another aide has
fled, apparently to avoid indictment on corruption charges.
Along with his questionable associations and real-estate
transactions, Patriarch Ireneos has developed a reputation for
hostility toward other Christian groups in Jerusalem. Last September,
at his prompting, Orthodox monks physically assaulted Franciscan
friars inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in an astonishing act
of violence that was captured on videotape. This year he has
announced that he will not allow Armenian priests to join in lighting
the “holy fire” in the basilica to begin Easter Vigil services.
The AsiaNews service reports that Israeli officials are showing a
growing inclination to control the behavior of the Greek prelate, and
to enforce the rules that govern the shared use of the Church of the
Holy Sepulchre by the different Christian bodies in Jerusalem.
Nevertheless, his penchant for conflict has raised concerns about the
prospects for a peaceful Holy Week among the members of the Eastern
churches.
