Patriarch of Jerusalem urged U.S. support for medical evacuations from Gaza

Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem and All Palestine and Jordan met with U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee at the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate’s headquarters in Jerusalem’s Old City.

The meeting covered the Christian presence in the Holy Land, medical evacuations from Gaza, access to Mount Tabor, and church property rights.

The Patriarch of Jerusalem asked Ambassador Huckabee to support a medical corridor for cancer patients from Gaza, including children, to Augusta Victoria Hospital in Jerusalem. The request echoed a principle he stated earlier this year: “The Church’s ministry is to help alleviate all human pain.”

He also raised concerns about restrictions on clergy and pilgrims seeking access to Mount Tabor for the forthcoming Feast of the Transfiguration. He addressed the June 15 seizure of Patriarchal property in Silwan by Israeli authorities and the discriminatory application of Arnona municipal property taxes to churches.

Patriarch Theophilos also spoke of his efforts at spiritual mediation between Russia and Ukraine, rooted in the Church’s ministry of reconciliation. He prayed that dialogue would ease suffering and lead both countries toward a just peace.

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