Sunday afternoon, October 22, 2023, the Ecumenical Patriarch Mr. Bartholomew officiated at the I. Church of Agios Georgios Neochori BosphorusMetohiou of the Holy Sepulcher, on the eve of the Enthronement feast of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, during which the memory of the Holy Glorious Apostle James the Brother, the first Bishop of Jerusalem, is commemorated.

In his speech, the Patriarch, on the occasion of the tragic events unfolding in the Holy Land, underlined the importance of honest dialogue as the only means for the prevalence of peace and justice in the region.

“Enough is enough, enough blood has been spilled! 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“, His Holiness emphasized, among other things, and added: “And this finding makes everyone who consciously believes in Christ responsible, before His Lord and before his fellow men. Yes, no Christian is irresponsible for what happens around him! Peace also depends on each one of us!”.

Previously, His Holiness was addressed by the Commissioner of the Holy Sepulcher, who referred to the prevailing conditions, “when everything around us sinks into the chaos of war, misanthropy, fratricide“, while at another point he asked for his wishes “for the martyred dear brother of Yours, Patriarch Theophilos, and for the heroic and always-tested Holy Sepulchre Brotherhood that is close to him and every day! Pray for peace and the state of the universe and the Holy Lands!”.

Photo: Nikos Papachristou