A Holy Synod of the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem on Aug. 13 elected Irineos as patriarch. The election ends months of intrigue and speculation since the death of Patriarch Diodoros 1 on Dec. 20 (see Aug./Sept. Washington Report, p. 17).
The position is of utmost importance since it oversees the largest church in the Holy Land with 100,000 members in Israel, Palestine, and Jordan. Its authority includes 150 churches and monasteries, as well as significant holy sites.
The election took place in three stages. First, a list of 15 candidates was compiled. Then 50 Orthodox clerics voted to narrow the list to three: Metropolitans Timotheos, secretary of the patriarch; Cornelius, who has been serving as interim patriarch; and Irineos. The final ballot was cast in the Catholicon, opposite the Tomb of Christ in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, by 17 senior clerics. The results were seven votes for Irineos, with the other two candidates receiving five each.
The election turned controversial in early July when the Israeli government declared five of the candidates—including Irineos and Timotheos—were ineligible. According to a law going back to Byzantine times, the 15-name ballot is sent to the respective governments—Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Jordan—to make sure all candidates had proper travel documents. In an unprecedented move, Israeli Justice Minister Meir Sheetrit informed the patriarch that five were disqualified. The July 13 issue of the Jerusalem Post quoted a government official as saying the five names were censored for security reasons.
The attempted Israeli government interference in the election process is due partially to concern over the growing strength of Arab clergy in the Orthodox Church. Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic, Lutheran and Anglican churches all have Palestinian leadership. The other issue is related to the extensive land holdings of the Orthodox Church. Diodorus 1 had been highly criticized by church members for his willingness to sell and lease land to Israelis.
The Greek patriarchate, reportedly furious over Israel’s intrusion into church affairs, filed a petition with the High Court of Justice. A letter to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon stated, “We were stunned and angered by the announcement, which is reminiscent of despotic regimes.”
According to Ha’aretz, Sheetrit backed down, reversing his decision two weeks prior to the election.
Many believe that the electors were planning to ignore the Israeli attempt at censorship and that the election would have turned out the same. The Israeli reversal avoided an embarrassing confrontation with the church, with the likelihood of international repercussions.
Yonatan Ben-Ari, head of Israel’s Religious Affairs Ministry, attended the election ceremony. According to the Jerusalem Post, he congratulated the new patriarch and stated that he hoped Irineos would not bear a grudge even though Israel had at one point disqualified him.
In a speech following the election, Irineos thanked the priests and sent special regards to King Abdullah of Jordan and to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. An AP wire story quoted the new patriarch as saying, “I will serve the church and I support the Palestinian people and their just issues.” Reportedly he planned to meet personally with Prime Minister Sharon that same day.
Irineos was born in Samos in 1939 and came to Jerusalem in 1953 where he studied at the Greek Orthodox Seminary. Since 1979, he has served as exarch, the Jerusalem church’s representative in Greece. —F.S.