Address of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II to His Beatitude Theophilus III, Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All Palestine on the occasion of his enthronement

Your Beatitude Theophilus III,
Primate of the Holy Orthodox Church of Jerusalem,
beloved brother in our Lord Jesus Christ
and concelebrant at God’s Throne!

The happy news of the unanimous election of Your Beatitude to the Jerusalem Patriarchal Throne has become a source of our joy and spiritual consolations. Our Lord Jesus Christ Who has built His church (cf. Mt 16:18) and has wisely ordered her destiny, now entrusts the Church of the Holy City to you. May your worthy ascension to the ancient Christian Throne be blessed!

May the ship of the glorious Church of Zion happily pass a dangerous run of trials and reach a safe harbour guided by a good helmsman in the person of Your beloved Beatitude with the ineffable good will of God. The Orthodox world has been following with anxiety and confusion the disturbing developments threatening to undermine the wellbeing of the Orthodox Church in the Holy Land. The Local Orthodox Churches have been praying fervently for overcoming the ecclesiastical disorder in Jerusalem. The Lord heeded to our hopes. It has become possible to find the correct way out of crisis with God’s help and with the steadfast following the canonical order and conciliar foundations of the Church and also with the support of Orthodoxy as a whole. The end of crisis is marked by the solemn enthronement of Your Beatitude. The joy of the Church of Jerusalem is shared by the Plenitude of Orthodoxy throughout the world. We prayerfully share it recalling the words of the Prophet: ‘And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away’ (Is 51:11).

Today you are ascending the glorious throne of the Primates of the Mother Church, which had been adorned by such men of God as St. Jacob, brother of the Lord, Ss Cyril, Zechariah, Sophronius and many other luminaries of faith. This is an existing moment both for you personally and for your God-loving flock that hopes to find a good shepherd and a caring father in your person. This day is also important to Holy Orthodoxy as a whole, as You, Your Beatitude, ascend the throne of particular importance to the Christian world. This throne was established ‘in the midst of the earth’ (Ps 74:12) at the foot of the Holy Calvary, before the Life-Giving Sepulchre, where our Divine Redeemer willed to perform our salvation. It is from here the Gospel has been preached ‘to the end of the earth’ (Acts 1:8). It is here the multitude of pilgrims from all over the world come ‘to worship the place where the most pure feet stood’ (Canon to the Cross and the Resurrection of Christ in tone one, canticle eight).

The ministry of the Patriarch of Jerusalem is vested with particular responsibility. The cradle of all Christian Churches – the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem – has for centuries been the major custodian of the shrines linked with the sacred Biblical events, the earthly life of our Lord Jesus Christ, His Most Pure Mother and holy apostles. A difficult task is now placed on you to care for this invaluable heritage kept through sacrificial labours of our pious forefathers and to hand it down to the future generations intact. All Orthodox Christians hopefully expect that You, Your Beatitude, will zealously pray for the entire Christian world at the Holy Sepulchre. The primatial ministry in the complicated social and political situation in Palestine, where hostilities do not subside and human blood is shed, will demand particular courage and self-control in your efforts to soften the hardened hearts and to achieve the desired peace. Being aware how difficult and responsible is the deed that you will perform, we wholeheartedly pray the Great Chief Shepherd Christ to strengthen you with His Divine right hand and make the burden of carrying the patriarchal cross easy and saving.

Our Lord Jesus Christ established the Church of Jerusalem, St. Jacob brother of the Lord was its first bishop and at present she adheres to the undamaged and pure saving teaching of the Gospel given to us through the holy apostles and fathers of the Church. In her zeal to keep the Holy Tradition, the Church of the Holy Zion has always strived to fulfill the God-given commandment to preserve unity among Christians and to strengthen fraternal relations with other Local Orthodox Churches, with the Russian Orthodox Church in particular. A thousand-year history of the relations between our Churches is rich in examples of mutual help and fruitful cooperation. 150-year work of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem under unfailing cordial protection of the Patriarchs of Jerusalem is a visible testimony to fraternal relations between our Holy Churches. While greeting Your Beatitude on the commencement of your Primatial ministry, we are pleased to note your personal contribution to the consolidation of the bonds of love between our Churches made as an exarch of the Patriarch of Jerusalem in Moscow. We hope that you will keep fond memories of the years you spent with us. We also hope that the relations between our Churches during your Primatial ministry will be as warm and fraternal as under Your blessed and wise predecessors on the Patriarchal Throne of Jerusalem.

Your Beatitude, I heartily congratulate you on your glorious accession to the Patriarchal Throne of the Holy City and wish that the Holy Church of Jerusalem will gain peace and prosperity under your wise leadership. I wish You, Your Beatitude, to be graciously strengthened from the source of our resurrection – the Life-giving Holy Sepulchre. May the Primatial ministry of Your Beatitude be blessed and may the All-merciful Lord grant you many good years!

+ALEXY,
PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA