The Heads of Churches in Jerusalem visited both Gaza and Nablus in late July to see the people there under siege and constant closure that has been in force for months. With the tragedy in Lebanon and northern Israel, the ongoing tragedies in the Palestinian territories has been forgotten. The people there asked them to … [Read more…]
Thousands gathered Saturday in Nazareth to protest a failed bombing attempt by a Jewish family Friday night at the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth, where Christians had gathered for traditional Lenten prayers. Fortunately, the homemade mixture of fireworks, flammable liquids and a jar of marbles and nails to serve as shrapnel didn’t explode properly, … [Read more…]
The usual exchange of Christmas greetings took place this year with visits to the three Patriarchates by heads of churches and their delegations. The visit of the Latin Patriarch always takes place first in December. The Greek Orthodox Christmas is next, as it comes on the Western churches’ Feast of Epiphany. The Armenian Christmas occurs … [Read more…]
Hundreds attended the Enthronement of His Beattitude Theophilos III as the new Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem on Tuesday, Nov. 22. The Church went ahead with the ceremony despite the fact that Israel has not yet recognized the appointment, a necessary step in the process for him to have standing in Israel. The last Patriarch, … [Read more…]