The Greek Orthodox Patriarch in Jerusalem, Irineos I, has been officially removed from office over a deeply controversial land sale that has sparked Arab fury, a church official said.

"We have completed the process of removing Irineos as patriarch," patriarchate secretary Aris Tarchos told journalists in East Jerusalem on Saturday.

Irineos left the patriarchate in Jerusalem's Old City on Friday afternoon after two-thirds of the church leadership approved his dismissal.

Under pressure

Saturday's announcement officialises that decision. Irineos I has faced increasing pressure from his largely Arab flock to step down since mid-March when an Israeli newspaper published details of a multi-million dollar transaction in which ideologically motivated Jewish businessmen acquired church land in a predominantly Palestinian area of the Old City.

Although the patriarch repeatedly denied involvement in the sale, his denials fell on deaf ears. Enraged by the move, his mostly Palestinian flock have stopped at nothing to have him removed.

Earlier this week, the ex-financial manager of the patriarchate, who is thought to be behind the land sale, alleged that Irineos sold the properties to win Israel's approval and prove he was not pro-Palestinian.

Nikos Papadimas, who fled Israel to an unknown destination after the scandal erupted, told the Haaretz daily that Irineos "wanted to prove to the Israeli authorities that he did not support the Palestinians and the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organisation)".

Damning statement

The Synod on Friday issued a statement saying Irineos "has been driven by a spirit of falsehood, misunderstanding the meaning of the church (and) irresponsibly handling the property of the patriarchate."

Irineos had "put in danger our rights and our presence in the Holy Places," it concluded. During the night, Irineos returned to the patriarchate accompanied by a heavy Israeli police escort where he began packing his belongings, church sources said.

"He walked out of the building after a tumultuous meeting with other church leaders," a source close to the patriarch told reporters on Friday.

Representatives of the Palestinian Orthodox faithful had earlier welcomed the dismissal, with Dimitri Diliani, leader of a secular group of nationalist Palestinian Christians, insisting that the patriarch be put on trial before a church court.

Further investigation

"Irineos must not be allowed to leave (the country) until he has been investigated and tried before a church court," he told reporters.

"This is an important move but the battle is not yet over -the fight is now on to retrieve the properties that were leased."

Purchasing property in the Old City, which is in occupied and annexed east Jerusalem, is fraught with political tensions as Jewish groups often try to obtain properties in Palestinian areas in a major settlement drive.

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The head of the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem is finally pushed out, but Palestinians insist the crisis is not over yet, writes Khaled Amayreh in the West Bank
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After weeks of protest, the Christian Arab community in Jerusalem has apparently succeeded in getting the Greek Orthodox Church to sack its patriarch, Irineos I, over his alleged involvement in the sale of church property in East Jerusalem to Jewish settlers earlier this year. Irineos is widely believed to have okayed the sale of several buildings and a hotel in Jerusalem's old city, in concert with Nikos Papadimas, a Greek aide, who fled Palestine to an unknown destination with millions of dollars.

Irineos, for his part, has insisted that he had no knowledge of the illicit deal, promising to restore, if possible, the sold real estate. Orthodox leaders in Palestine, clergy and laity alike, refused to believe him, arguing that it would be a calamity if he knew of the deal and even a greater calamity if he didn't.

The crisis reached a climax on Friday 6 May, when the orthodox community's religious council, or synod, decided by a two-third majority to dismiss Irineos and cease all contact with him. "Irineos has been driven by a spirit of falsehood, misunderstanding the meaning of the church and irresponsibly handling the property of the patriarchate," read a statement issued by the synod. Explaining the decision to sack him, the statement continued that Irineos "put in danger our rights and our presence in the Holy Places".

Irineos, meanwhile, refused to accede to the decision, accusing the synod of acting illegally and in contravention to clerical norms. He even sought unsuccessfully to convene a meeting of top clergymen for the purpose of sacking 18 members of the synod who voted to dismiss him.

Following the synod's decision, a meeting was hastily arranged between Irineos and his critics during which an acrimonious argument erupted between the two sides. In the meeting, the official spokesman of the church, Archimandrite Atallah Hanna, accused the patriarch of not telling the truth and of betraying the trust of the community. Irineos, feeling besieged, walked out of the patriarchate headquarters. During the night, he returned to the patriarchate under heavy Israeli police protection where he reportedly began packing his belongings.

Some of the leaders of the Palestinian Orthodox community demanded that Irineos be put on trial before a church court. "He must not be allowed to leave until he has been investigated and tried before a church court," said Dimitri Diliani, an orthodox community leader. "This is an important move but the battle is not yet over, the fight will continue until we recover the real estates and buildings that were sold," he said.

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