Jerusalem Patriarch loses seat, take-over of Jerusalem Patriarchate by senior clergymen
Two Synod members on Friday afternoon signed a document renouncing Jerusalem Patriarch Irineos, bringing the total of those having signed the document to 12 Synod members and 14 Jerusalem Church bishops thus securing the two-thirds majority necessary for Irineos' automatic dismissal, pending final approval of the Jordanian government. The Jerusalem Patriarchate has temporarily been taken over by senior clergymen and primates of the Holy Sepulchre Brotherhood following a quarrel with Irineos after a second attempt to convene the Synod. The meeting was not quorate. Irineos left the Patriarchate. Israeli police are on site. A letter renouncing Irineos and asking him to give up his seat, signed by senior clerics of the Jerusalem Church, was handed to Irineos on Thursday morning, while a copy was sent to the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul. The letter also held Irineos responsible for controversial land deals that have incensed Arabs and Palestinians, in which prime pieces of Orthodox Church property - including the landmark Palestinian-run Imperial Hotel at the entrance to Jerusalem's Old City - have been leased or sold to foreign Jewish interests.
