Profile of controversial Greek Orthodox patriarch

(17 Feb 2015) At a recent Sunday mass, Arab Christians enthusiastically joined in the ancient chants and prayers of their faith - until the name of their spiritual leader was invoked.
"Unworthy, unworthy, unworthy," some called out in unison, their disdain aimed at Theophilos III, the Greek Orthodox patriarch of Jerusalem and leader of some the 220,000 Arab Christians in Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories.
In recent weeks, such chants repeatedly erupted during services, the latest sign of trouble for a secretive church hierarchy whose previous leader was ousted a decade ago over allegations that he sold prime church property to Jews trying to increase their presence in traditionally Arab east Jerusalem.
The church's vast real estate holdings in the Holy Land also play a role in the current unrest, as part of demands by Arab Christians to have a greater say.
The unlikely rebels - many of them devout, middle-class professionals - want the church to promote Arab clergy, invest more in Arab congregations and open the books on secret property deals.
In late January, a man climbed up the Nativity Church in Bethlehem and put a Palestinian flag on the rooftop.
The ownership of the church, where according to Christian tradition Jesus Christ was born, is shared by the Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian churches.
The campaign has divided the Arab flock.
Issa Musleh, a spokesman for the Greek-Orthodox patriarchate of Jerusalem, said that the church "does not distinguish between a Greek and an Arab".
He also said the church applies Jordanian law which dictates how many Arabs should be in the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre, the Orthodox monastic fraternity that has guarded Christian Holy places in the Holy Land for centuries.
Supporters of the patriarch portray the protesters as a noisy minority and say identity politics should be kept out of the church.
The patriarchate repeatedly has been dragged into the Israeli-Arab conflict over its real estate riches, particularly those in Jerusalem's walled Old City, home to major shrines of Christianity, Judaism and Islam.
The Old City is located in the Israeli-annexed part of Jerusalem that Palestinians want as a future capital and that pressure has come to bear on Theophilos, elected in 2005 to replace Patriarch Irineos I, ousted over his alleged land deals.
Under established custom, a new patriarch requires recognition from the governments of areas where he operates - in this case Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority.
Jordan briefly withdrew its initial recognition in 2007 because of Theophilos' perceived failure to reclaim church lands and increase Arab participation, according to a US diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks.
Israel withheld recognition until 2007, with Theophilos complaining at the time - according to another diplomatic cable - that Israel was trying to pressure him to complete outstanding land deals.
The church refuses to say how much property it owns.
One supporter of the patriarch said he was told by church officials that the holdings are worth between 64 (b) billion and 70 (b) billion.
Musleh denied that Theophilos has given Israel sweetheart deals on land leases in Jerusalem, saying the patriarch is working hard to reclaim properties allegedly sold by his predecessor.
The patriarch's challengers say their demands deal with the spiritual as much as business.
They say they want local Arabic-language seminaries and male monasteries since only celibate priests can rise in the ranks, unlike married Arab priests who serve in the congregations.

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