BOSTON – With the permission and blessing of Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem, The Russian Orthodox Church assisted in the building of a new church in Jerusalem according to the official website of the Matriarchate of Moscow. In the article it is stated that “His Holiness Patriarch Kirill has made his own contribution to the church under construction and gifted it a carved communion table for the main altar dedicated to the Nativity of the Mother of God, as well as two communion tables for the church’s side-altars. The communion tables were produced by the workshops of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus.”

TNH is in a position to know that the Russian Church has built churches in other parts of the world, including Cyprus, Serbia, France, and elsewhere.

It is reminded here that in last week’s edition we wrote that Patriarch Theophilos is getting ready to convene another ‘synaxis’ of the Prelates of the Orthodox Church as he did a year ago. It is also reminded that the convocation of Synods and certainly Synaxeis is the historic, canonical, and ecclesiological privilege of the Ecumenical Patriarch and nobody else.

The entire article on the website of the Russian Church follows:

“On February 28, 2021, with a blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, Archimandrite Alexander (Yelisov) accompanied by his deputy Hieromonk Dometian (Markarian), made a visit to Israel’s Northern District.

During his trip Father Alexander visited the city of Sakhnin where, with a blessing of His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, a church is being built for the local Christian population historically confessing Orthodoxy.

The northern cities and settlements in Israel are special in that the Christian population there is indigenous, as they have preserved faithfulness to their religious beliefs for many centuries in spite of multiple political changes. This is why the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem shows special concern for the pastoral care of this region. The church under construction is planned by Patriarch Theophilos to become a spiritual pillar for all the local Orthodox Christians so that they could feel the support of the Mother Church in their historical home.

Sharing the concern of the Church of Jerusalem, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill has made his own contribution to the church under construction and gifted it a carved communion table for the main altar dedicated to the Nativity of the Mother of God, as well as two communion tables for the church’s side-altars. The communion tables were produced by the workshops of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus.

Archimandrite Alexander met with the warden of the church under construction, Dr. M. Gantus, and representatives of the parish community who were inspired by the participation of the Russian Orthodox Church in their work.

The parish council persistently asked the head of the Mission to convey words of gratitude to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill noting that his good gesture will stay in the memory of the present and future generations of local Christians.

Before the meeting began, Archimandrite Alexander and his party visited the Magdala representation of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in which they celebrated the Sunday Divine Liturgy at the church of St Mary Magdalene Equal-to-the-Apostles.”