The Orthodox Roman Patriarchate announced in Jerusalem Monday that its leadership elections would take place on August 13, following the Israeli government's withdrawal of its decision to exclude five candidates from the polls.
The patriarchate said in a statement, a copy of which was obtained by the Palestinian news agency, WAFA, that Israeli Minister of Justice Mier Shetrit had submitted an official apology to the patriarchate on behalf of his government for excluding the five candidates.
A number of international organizations have condemned Israel for omitting the names of the candidates from the elections list and characterized it as unacceptable interference in the church’s internal affairs.
The statement said: “Shetrit told the church officials in a letter that his government had decided to review the omission it made on the list and not to interfere in the new patriarch election issue reiterating that it was an internal church matter.”
“The Israeli action has come after an extensive solidarity campaign and immense pressure put by many Christian international bodies, countries and figures on Israel. The church itself launched a media campaign to explain the seriousness of the Israeli interference in its own affairs and the impact of this on the status of Jerusalem and its holy sites. This is in addition to curb Israel and stop its interference in the church private affairs,” the statement added.
The church statement appreciated the “leading role which the Palestinian National Authority and the Jordanian government have played in supporting the patriarchate in this crisis indicating that this support contributed to a great extent to correct the faulty situation created by Israel.” – Albawaba.com
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