Athens, Greece - Jerusalem's embattled Greek Orthodox Patriarch Irineos I apologised for "omissions" that have led to calls for his resignation from the patriarchy's Arab flock, but stressed he would "continue fighting" to prove he did not sell politically-charged church land to Jewish investors.
A day after Greece hinted that Irineos should resign under the weight of the land sale scandal, Irineos said in a statement issued Wednesday to Greek media that he is Jerusalem patriarch "for life", and advised the Greeks to stay out of patriarchy affairs.
"The Greek state's firm position should be to not intervene in patriarchy internal affairs and operations," the statement said. "The Greek government has been and should continue being a support of Orthodoxy and Hellenism."
Greece is keen to maintain a long-standing influence in the Holy Land that stems from its strong historical and cultural links with the Jerusalem patriarchy, but it has also kept a careful distance from Irineos himself.
On Wednesday, the Greek government called on Irineos to "realize the crucial nature of the situation, and to rise to the circumstances and assume his historic responsibilities."
Irineos denies selling church land to Israelis and argues that if any such transaction took place, the patriarchate will work to declare it null and void.
"As Abbot of the Holy Sepulchre Brotherhood for life, and responding to my responsibilities to the patriarchy institution, to my flock and to the nation, I apologise for omissions that may have been committed without my knowledge," Irineos' statement said.
The statement noted the patriarch's intention to "continue fighting with all my powers" with the support of Holy Sepulchre Brotherhood members and church faithful.
"Maintaining the Greek flag in the Holy Lands, keeping the status quo and restoring calm in my flock are vital," the statement said.
A Greek foreign ministry delegation that flew to Jerusalem last week to investigate the issue said it was unable to reach any conclusions because the necessary documents were not in the archives.
When the group met with the patriarch he "stressed the economic difficulties of the patriarchate in such a way that we were given the impression that he did not want to discuss the issue of the long-term leases," a ministry report said Wednesday.