Theofilos III
Posted on 10/22/2007 7:06:11 AM PDT by SJackson
Theofilos III
JERUSALEM – Leaders of the Hamas terrorist group yesterday praised the man enthroned as Greek Orthodox patriarch of Jerusalem for his reported reluctance to sell property to Jews.
The Israeli government has withheld support for Theofilos III, elected patriarch in 2005 amid charges of church irregularities, due to his position on canceling the sale to Jewish groups of church land comprising much of a key entrance to Jerusalem's Old City. Theofilos also has been quoted by church officials as opposing the sale of Jerusalem property to Jews.
Ownership of the land in question – two hotels that comprise a large section of the Jaffa Gate, the principal entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem – could be crucial in the future status of Jerusalem during upcoming Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Previous U.S.-backed proposals have allotted Jewish-owned sections of Jerusalem to Israel and Arab-occupied real estate to the Palestinians.
The Hamas solidarity statements come just days after Rice met and held a photo opportunity with Theofilos in a sign she supported the embattled cleric in spite of Israeli objections.
Yesterday, a delegation of senior Hamas leaders in Gaza visited the territory's main Greek Orthodox church, where they heaped praise on Theofilos for his refusal to cooperate with Israel and sell land to Jews.
Hamas leader in Gaza Mahmoud al-Zahar, the terror group's former foreign minister, stated he is "proud" Theofilis "isn't working with Israel."
(Excerpt) Read more at worldnetdaily.com ...
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He shouldn't. Jerusalem is a holy site for Christians as well as Jews.
And God shook his head.
Israel should treat this scumbag as part of Hamas.
I guess this guy never read that part of the Bible.
This article is a disgrace, as are some of the responses in this forum.
It would be a huge scandal if he *didn’t* want to nullify the previous land sale transactions, which were illicit, occured in secret without the normal church approval process, and were even disavowed by the person in whose name they were conducted. The illegal transactions were condemned by a meeting of his fellow bishops.
In general, these church lands shouldn’t be sold to anyone!
Leases are fine, the Orthodox Church even leases the land the Knesset is on, the prime minster and presidents residences, and some of israel’s wealthiest neighborshoods. Noone is talking about abrogating any of these leases to Jews.
No more Calumny ok?
This guy reminds me of Makarios III from Cyprus. His ties to the Greek terrorist group, EOKA, were apparently for a while very snug to say the least.
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