Head of Phanar confirms his refusal to go to Primates’ Council in Jordan

Meeting between Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem and Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople was held in Istanbul. Photo: jerusalem-patriarchate.info

On February 15, 2020, a meeting of the delegation of the Jerusalem Patriarchate and the Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew took place in Istanbul, the orthodoxtimes resource reports.

The delegation which arrived at Phanar included Metropolitan Hesychos of Capitoline and Metropolitan Timothy of Vostra, Exarch of the Holy Sepulcher in Cyprus.

According to the publication, the hierarchs "informed Patriarch Bartholomew and the hierarchs of the Synod about the initiative of the Jerusalem Patriarchate to convene a meeting of Primates of the Orthodox Churches in Amman." However, the Patriarch of Constantinople once again stated that the Jerusalem Patriarchate is not authorized to hold such events.

The message on the official website of the Jerusalem Patriarchate dedicated to this visit says that the hierarchs had brought Patriarch Bartholomew an invitation to the Council of Primates from Patriarch Theophilos.

As noted, representatives of the Jerusalem Orthodox Church conveyed to the Head of Phanar the importance of an initiative to hold a Council of Primates, whose goal is to discuss the unity of Orthodoxy and the strengthening of inter-Orthodox dialogue and reconciliation.

The members of the delegation explained that the meeting in Amman is not an official Synaxis, but "is rather a familial gathering of the Primates of the Local Primates for the purpose of dialogue."

The publication Orthodoxia.info stated that according to their sources, "the Ecumenical Patriarch made it utterly clear that neither he nor the delegation of the patriarchy would in any way participate in the assembly in Amman, explicitly asking the hierarchs from Jerusalem, "Did you invite the Metropolitan of Kiev"?

We will recall that the Primates’ Council will be held at the initiative of Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem and will be devoted to the "Ukrainian issue", as well as a number of other pressing problems World Orthodoxy is facing. So far representatives of the Jerusalem, Russian, Serbian, Romanian, Polish Churches, as well as the Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, have confirmed their participation in the Primates’ Council. Patriarch John X of Antioch also gave a favorable assessment of the upcoming event. 

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