J'lem's Greek patriarch asked to resolve split in church.
http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=248130
By GREER FAY CASHMAN
12/05/2011 06:33


Theophilos III inclined to accept request by Ukrainian president.


There is a strong possibility that Greek Patriarch Theophilos III will try to
reconcile leaders and members of the Ukrainian Church that have been split for
years. At issue is the jurisdiction of the Moscow patriarchate over the
Ukrainian churches.

A schism exists between those who are loyal to the patriarchate in Kiev and
those who continue to put their trust in the patriarchate in Moscow.

During his state visit to Jerusalem last week to mark the 20th year of both
Ukrainian independence and Ukraine's diplomatic ties with Israel, President
Viktor Yanukovych called on Theophilos III to intervene.

Theophilos, who attended the state dinner President Shimon Peres hosted in
Yanukovych's honor Thursday night, told The Jerusalem Post he was inclined to
accede to the request.

When asked whether he would then turn his attention to reconciliation between
Israel and the Palestinians, Theophilos replied that religious leaders are
already engaged in this effort, and have been for several years.

During the second Bush administration, he said, a request was made by the
Americans to the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land to use its
combined influence toward ending the conflict and bringing about peace.

Institutions represented on the council include the Chief Rabbinate, the heads
of local churches, and both the Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Islamic Wakf
and its Islamic Shari'a Courts.

Ten years ago, said Theophilos, several of the representatives barely spoke to
each other. Now they work together in harmony.

He was convinced, he said, peace, when it comes, will not be the work of
politicians, but of religious leaders, because in the final analysis, the real
quarrel is about holy sites – a dispute that can be settled more by religious
leaders than by politicians.

At the dinner for Yanukovych, Peres reiterated Israel's acceptance of a
two-state solution to the conflict and emphasized yet again that the only way to
achieve this was through direct negotiations between the two parties.


Peres praised the Ukrainian administration for its policies.

Since Ukraine achieved independence in 1990, he said, the country has actively
worked against any manifestations of anti- Semitism. Not only that, it also
permits its Jews freedom of worship and cultural expression, just as it treats
people of other faiths. This is something Israel greatly appreciates, said
Peres, adding that Ukraine is trying to repair the evils of the Soviet regime.
This includes the establishment of a monument at Babi Yar to commemorate the
murder of tens of thousands of Jews during World War II. A revolutionary change
has taken place in Ukraine in a relatively short period of time, said Peres.

At the outset of his address Peres mentioned a number of famous Jews of
Ukrainian background. Continuing on this theme, Yanukovych noted that Ukraine
had once boasted one of the largest Jewish communities in the world, and many of
Ukraine's Jews had been among the pioneers and leaders of the nascent State of
Israel.