Jerusalem, Middle East - The top decision-making body of the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem named a caretaker leader on Monday to replace its patriarch fired over charges of involvement in a controversial land deal, officials said.
Patriarch Irineos I was sacked on May 6 by the church's Holy Land hierarchy over the leasing of church property to Jewish investors in Arab East Jerusalem, outraging Palestinians who regard the area as their future capital.
Irineos has denied the charges and refuses to step down.
Archbishop Aristarchos, general secretary of the Jerusalem patriarchate, said the Holy Land synod had voted unanimously to elect Cornelius, Metropolitan of Petra, as Locum Tenens or temporary caretaker leader.
"We had to elect a Locum Tenens to be the leader of the church until the election of the new patriarch," Aristarchos told Reuters. "We want to go to elections for a new patriarch quickly but we do not know how long it will take."
Irineos issued a statement on Monday saying: "I reiterate that I did not betray the trust and I did not waste the possessions and the legacy of our fathers. I am a Patriarch for life according to church laws and I will not resign."
Last week leaders of the world's Orthodox churches with 300 million followers voted in a rare synod held in Istanbul to stop recognizing Irineos as patriarch after his refusal to step down.
The world synod, attended by Irineos, lacks the authority to fire him. But its decision to end recognition is seen as an attempt to sideline the patriarch and force his resignation.
The Greek Orthodox Church in the Holy Land is led by Greek clerics rather than Palestinians, unlike other churches in the region that have opted in recent years to appoint Arab patriarchs.
The church owns thousands of acres of property in Jerusalem.