On Sunday afternoon, October 22, 2023, the Ecumenical Patriarch presided over the Vespers of the Thronal Feast of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, during which the memory of the Holy Glorious Apostle James the Brother of the Lord, first Bishop of Jerusalem, is commemorated.
The service was officiated at the Church of St. George of Neochorion, Bosphorus, in the Metochion of the Holy Sepulchre.
The Divine Word was preached by Grand Syncellus James.
In his speech, the Patriarch, on the occasion of the tragic events unfolding in the Holy Land, stressed the importance of sincere dialogue as the only means for peace and justice to prevail in the region.
“Enough is enough, enough blood has been shed! War is not a solution! It is the imprint of the fall of man, who in his arrogance and greed cannot recognize the sanctity of the face of his fellow man,” the Ecumenical Patriarch stressed, among other things: “And this realization makes every conscientious believer in Christ responsible towards his Lord and towards his fellow humans. Yes, no Christian is irresponsible for what happens to his surroundings! Peace also depends on each one of us!”
Previously, the Ecumenical Patriarch was addressed by the Commissioner of the Holy Sepulchre, who referred to the prevailing conditions, “when everything around us is plunged into the chaos of war, of misanthropy, of fratricide”, while at another point he asked for his blessings “for your martyred dear brother Patriarch Theophilos and for the brotherhood around him! Pray for the peace and order of the universal world and the Holy Land!” (Read the two speeches here)
Photo: Nikos Papachristou
