A Doxology service was held at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on the occasion of the anniversary, officiated by the Patriarch himself and co-officiated by the Jerusalem Patriarchate’s Archbishops, Hagiotaphite hieromonks, Patriarchal vicars and hegumens (abbots) of the Orthodox monasteries in the Holy Land.
In a celebratory homily, the Patriarch underlined that the Patriarchate will continue to safeguard the indelible privileges and sovereign rights of Greek Orthodoxy upon the All-Holy Shrines, referring to a sacred duty and mission of the Church in the Holy Land.
The Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem, all Palestine and Israel, added that “…we’ll never cease raising our voice towards every direction, political and diplomatic, local and international organizations and governments, in order to make the established, by international treaties multi-cultural and multi-religious status quo, respectable, for both the Biblical shrines and for the Holy City of Jerusalem, which is an international shrine in itself.”
Best wishes on the occasion of the anniversary of the Jerusalem Patriarch’s enthronement were conveyed by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, His Holiness Kirill.