Parliament Memo Presented To Government Demanding Ousting Greek Orthodox Patriarch Eireneos I

2005-03-21

www.petra.gov.jo/nepras/2005 /Mar/20/24423800.htm

Amman/ March 20/ (Petra-Jordan News Agency)-- Fifty-three deputies asked the Jordanian government Sunday to oust Greek Orthodox Patriarch Eireneos I in occupied Jerusalem for his carelessness about the tasks assigned to him and for selling Orthodox properties in the holy city.

The deputies' request was made in a memorandum submitted to Speaker of the House of Deputies Abdel Hadi Majali. The memo called for bringing the Patriarch to the court for violating Jordan's 1985 law No. 27. It also called for rendering all the sales conducted by the Patriarch null.

"The Patriarch didn't abide by the Jordanian law under which he was elected," said a statement issued by deputy Odeh Qawas, who accused the Patriarch of financial and administrative corruption. The Patriarch has committed several violations and "has attempted to implant an Arab-Greek ethnic dispute when he replaced Arab religious leaders by Greek ones as members in the Orthodox Patriarchate," said Qawas

"He (Eireneos) has trespassed all the red lines when he, two days ago, sold part of the Orthodox properties inside the Walled Old City of Jerusalem," Qawas said.

The Orthodox church is one of the biggest property owners in Jerusalem, including large tracts of real estate inside the Old City.

Injadat/ Petra

Source: IMRA – Independent Media Review and Analysis