CONSTANTINOPLE – Clergy members of the Monastic Brotherhood of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem have been infected by the Coronavirus as was reported in an announcement of the Ecumenical Patriarchate which informed about the postponement of Patriarch Theophilos’ visit to the Phanar.  

The announcement follows:

“Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in a letter to Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem conveyed the sympathy and support of the Great Church of Christ to him and the Monastic Brotherhood, some members of which have been infected with the COVID-19. This development forced the Patriarch Theophilos to postpone his visit scheduled for September 1 to the headquarters of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for the celebration of the Feast of the Indiction.

“All your brothers in the Phanar share in the grief and suffering of the infected members of the Hagiotaphite Brotherhood with the Coronavirus, and we pray to the physician of our souls and bodies to quickly heal those who are bedridden and return them to the sacred mission of guarding the Holy Places in the Holy Land under your leadership and paternal affection. We trust the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose we celebrate the Dormition, to protect you and the members of the Hagiotaphite Brotherhood who are being tested,” wrote the Ecumenical Patriarch, in his letter dated August 28, 2020.