Jordan eases up on patriarch
Jordan said yesterday that it was rescinding its decision to withdraw recognition of Greece’s Orthodox patriarch in Jerusalem, as Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis arrived in Amman for talks. Bakoyannis described Jordan’s decision, reached at a cabinet meeting late on Tuesday, as a «very positive development.» «The cabinet made this decision after the government ascertained that the patriarch had fulfilled his obligations,» said government spokesman Nasser Judeh. Amman decided in May to withdraw its recognition of Theophilos III, saying he had «failed to fulfill his obligations.» Amman’s chief complaint was Theophilos’s alleged failure to recover Church land in Jerusalem believed to have been sold by his predecessor. Jordan had requested an update of the Patriarchate’s assets following the dismissal of Patriarch Irenaios in 2005 for allegedly selling Church property in a sensitive area of Jerusalem to Israeli companies. Greece was critical of Jordan’s decision and called on Amman to reconsider, as did the World Council of Churches. «We welcome the decision in the certainty that the Jerusalem Patriarchate will continue unobstructed to carry out its important mission… for all its congregation,» said Bakoyannis, who held talks with her counterpart Abdel Ilah al-Khatib and Prime Minister Maaruf Bakhit. Judeh told The Associated Press that Amman changed its mind after «positive and practical steps taken by the patriarch which underlined his commitment to obligations to protect his church and property.» The Jordanian spokesman said that Theophilos pledged to «safeguard the Patriarchate’s rights on property that was transferred illegally… before his tenure.» «We don’t want to interfere in Church issues but we want to ensure that its property is protected,» said Judeh. Church law demands that the patriarch be recognized by Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Israel refuses to recognize Theophilos.
