Greek Orthodox Leaders Argue Over West Bank Land Lease to Jews

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

CAIRO, Egypt – A battle is brewing in Jerusalem between two patriarchs of the Greek Orthodox Church after one was said to have leased church land to Jews.


Yesterday, Patriarchs Irineos and Theophilos appealed to Americans and Greeks in separate attempts to cement their legitimacy. The struggle for control of the Jerusalem Patriarchate will determine whether the church, the largest private landowner in the West Bank, will be able to sell land to Jewish people in the future.


Angered by Israeli newspaper articles in the spring alleging that Patriarch Irineos leased the Petra and Imperial hotels inside the Jaffa Gate to a group of anonymous Jewish businessmen, some Greek Orthodox leaders began a campaign to oust him from his position. Almost all the members of the Jerusalem Patriarchate are Palestinians. In May, a synod presided over by the patriarch of Istanbul voted to cease recognition of Patriarch Irineos’s authority. New elections were held and Patriarch Theophilos emerged victorious after publicly campaigning on a pledge not to sell any of the church’s property in Israel to Jews.


As a result of the struggle, Jerusalem currently has two patriarchs of the Greek Orthodox Church competing for recognition, with Israel recognizing Patriarch Irineos and the Palestinian Authority, Greece, and Jordan recognizing Patriarch Theophilos. This week, the two men continued their struggle for outside recognition.


In his first official visit to Athens, Patriarch Theophilos was greeted by Greece’s president, Karolos Papoulias, who accepted him as the leader of the church in Jerusalem. “In such times we extend a hand to all, overcome any grumbling and, many times, criticism that is groundless,” the Athens news agency quoted Mr. Papoulias as saying.


Meanwhile, an envoy for Patriarch Irineos began a tour of America this month in an effort to gain support from members of the American Greek Orthodox church. Father Chrysostomos Mezilson said yesterday in an interview, “While in the United States, I was approached by certain people who have unrest about the developments in Jerusalem and have been asked to provide firsthand information. There is a lot of misinformation circulating about the matter.”


Father Chrysostomos yesterday insisted that Patriarch Irineos had not violated church law and said last spring’s synod meeting was held under questionable authority. “The issue has forced the parties interested to make concessions to other political forces. One of these concessions was that candidates for the patriarchate were forced to sign and approve and agree that no other lands would be sold to Jewish people,” he said. “It clearly represents the desperation of people of forwarding their own agendas. They did not think or care about the implications that this had for a balanced existence among many factors in the Holy Land.”


An Israeli subcommittee on Jerusalem affairs and Israel’s high court will likely make a final determination on recognition of the patriarchate this spring.


The New York Sun

© 2025 The New York Sun Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The material on this site is protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used.

The New York Sun

Sign in or  Create a free account

or
By continuing you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use