-Caveat Lector- >From www.smh.com.au
}}}>Begin All high and mighty over holier than thou By Serge Schmemann in Jerusalem April 27 2002 The Israeli Government has again refused to recognise the new Greek Orthodox patriarch of Jerusalem, the custodian of most of the Christian religious sites in the region. The patriarch, Irineos, was elected in August and enthroned on September 15 as the leader of the oldest and largest church in the Holy Land. However, the Israeli Government has refused to formally recognise him. The situation prevents him from holding a bank account or getting a travel visa. Israeli officials say they suspect Irineos is sympathetic to the Palestinian Authority, although no evidence has been offered. Some Israeli officials and experts say the real issue is that the patriarch's position gives him control over the church's vast real estate holdings, which include land that takes in Parliament and important properties in Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Under the last patriarch, Diodoros I, who died in 2000, many questions were raised about the leases of land to Israeli property developers and the multimillion-dollar income from them. Many of the leases are due to be renewed over the next 10 years. Irineos, 63, has promised to examine all transactions and to handle real estate "in terms of transparency, mutual interest, and absolute conformity with the applicable laws of the state where the land is situated". Among the many Christian sites the Greek Orthodox administer is the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, where about 250 Palestinians have been besieged by Israeli troops for three weeks. Israel says that terrorists are among them. Unlike other religious leaders in the area, the Greek Orthodox clergymen have remained largely in the shadows over the siege, although the patriarch's office has reportedly worked hard behind the scenes to secure a peaceful resolution. This month, evidently under pressure from the Foreign Minister, Shimon Peres, and other Israeli officials, Mr Sharon received Irineos and formally advised him that the Government was prepared to recognise him. But the minister of religious affairs, Asher Ohana, a member of the Shas religious party, and other conservative ministers objected. They said Mr Sharon had not consulted the Cabinet. According to a communique issued after the weekly meeting of the cabinet last Sunday, Mr Sharon agreed to reopen the question "in a wider forum," and the cabinet voted to suspend his decision and not grant a letter of recognition at present. There was no immediate comment from the patriarch. The secretary of the patriarch's office, Archbishop Aristarchos, said he had not heard of the decision, but that he hoped the problem would soon be resolved. 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