Met. Volodymyr meets with Pat. Theophilus III of Jerusalem

KYIV-JERUSALEM (RISU) — On September 17, 2009, the primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate departed for Jerusalem on a pilgrimage, which will continue till September 21.

In the course of the visit a meeting with Patriarch Theophilus III of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All Palestine is planned.

The program of the visit of Metropolitan Volodymyr schedules the liturgical service at the Holy Sepulcher, which the primate conducted on the night of September 18-19. Furthermore, on September 20 Metropolitan Volodymyr will celebrate the Divine Liturgy at St. Magdalene Monastery and on September 21, the feast of the Nativity of the Mother of God, on the Mount of Tabor.

Several groups of pilgrims from Ukraine also will stay in Jerusalem together with the metropolitan on these days.

On September 18 the primate of the UOC-MP visited the Russian St. Alexander Metochion in Jerusalem. It is here where the Judgment Gate is situated, through which the Savior was led to Golgotha. Metropolitan Volodymyr and the pilgrims from Ukraine bowed to the threshold of the Judgment Gates and the large stone from Golgotha, kept in the metochion. In this church the primate of the UOC-MP celebrated the Divine Liturgy.

On the night of September 18-19 Metropolitan Volodymyr of Kyiv and All Ukraine celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Church of Resurrection of Christ in the Edicule of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. Praying and receiving the Holy Communion at the Divine Liturgy were several hundred pilgrims from Ukraine.

Metropolitan Volodymyr bowed to the holy sites gathered under the arches of the Church of Resurrection of Christ including the Holy Sepulcher and the place of Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Golgotha – the place of crucifixion of the Savior, and the Stone of Anointing – the place where the body of Christ was laid after the deposition from the Cross.

And also...

(UOC) - By tradition, in the course of the pilgrimage to the Holy Land His Beatitude Metropolitan Volodymyr and the pilgrims from Ukraine were received by His Most Godly Beatitude the Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and all Palestine Theophilus III at his personal residence. Accompanying the Primate of the UOC were the Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Ighor Timofeyev and head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem archimandrite Isidor.

During the meeting His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilus greeted the pilgrims from Ukraine and thanked them for their regular visits to the Holy Land. His beatitude Metropolitan Volodymyr and His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilus exchanged greetings and keepsake gifts.

Reference:

The Orthodox Church of Jerusalem is the most ancient Orthodox Church of the world, the mother of all Churches. The Patriarchate of Jerusalem occupies 4th place in the diptych of Autocephalous Local Churches. Its jurisdiction today embraces the territory of Israel, Jordan and Palestine. The Patriarchate has an autonomous part - the Church of Sinai with St. Catherine's Monastery on Sinai in Egypt.


The full title of the Church's Primate is His Most Godly Beatitude the Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and all Palestine, Syria, Arabia, beyond the Jordan River, Cana of Galilee, and Holy Zion, Theophilus III.