Metropolitan of St. Petersburg: Patriarch of Jerusalem is a ‘zealous advocate of Orthodox unity’

Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem received Metropolitan Barsanuphius of St. Petersburg and Ladoga and a group of pilgrims from Russia and Estonia at the Jerusalem Patriarchate on September 15.

Welcoming the delegation, Patriarch Theophilos highlighted what he described as the unique role of the Church of Jerusalem in the contemporary world, stressing the spiritual significance of the Holy Land as a place connected with the life, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Patriarch described the Holy Land as a place of unity for Christians, particularly Orthodox Christians, recalling the words of the Apostle Paul that in Christ distinctions between peoples are overcome and all are united.

He noted that Jerusalem welcomes pilgrims from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds and said that the clergy of the Jerusalem Patriarchate pray for peace and an end to wars.

Patriarch Theophilos also compared the Church to a “hospital” that offers spiritual healing. Referring to the experience of the Russian Orthodox Church during the Soviet period, he said attempts by an atheistic government to destroy churches and monasteries had ultimately failed to destroy the faith of…