AMMAN - Orthodox Christians in Jordan held a protest on Thursday demanding that their Greek-led patriarchate increase Arab representation in the church's decision-making bodies.
Over 800 people from different cities of the Kingdom held a sit-in yesterday in front of the Orthodox Archdiocese in the capital, calling on Patriarch Theophilus III to overturn a decision dismissing Jordanian Archimandrite Hanna (Christoforos) Atallah from his post as vice president of the Amman church court.
Protesters also criticised the patriarch for "carelessness" towards the congregation's affairs, presenting a list of demands that includes establishing an ecclesiastic school, increasing teachers' salaries and abiding by the 1958 law of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
In addition, Orthodox foundations called for increased Arab representation in the Holy Synod - the highest decision-making body in the patriarchate - and opening the door for more Arab young people to become monks.
Monks and unmarried clerics at the Orthodox Church have the chance for promotion to higher decision-making posts, while priests who choose to get married do not hold senior posts.
In a previous statement to The Jordan Times, Father Issa Misleh, the patriarchate's spokesperson, argued that Arabs are "incapable" of managing their church's affairs, resulting in the dominance of Greek clergymen in the patriarchate's leadership since the beginning of the Ottoman era.
"We [Arabs] have no potential to hold senior posts in the church... The church always calls on young Arabs to become monks, but they prefer to become priests and get married," Misleh charged.
Protesters yesterday condemned Theophilus for not fulfilling previous commitments, including a pledge to stop the rent and sale of church land to Israeli companies and present a comprehensive list of all church assets to the Jordanian government.
In April 2009, an Israeli company rented 71 dunums of land in the Mar Elias area between Jerusalem and Bethlehem from the Orthodox Patriarchate on a 99-year renewable contract, according to the Amman-based Orthodox Society.
The congregation discovered the lease following a lawsuit between two Israeli investors, the society's head, Bassem, Farraj, told The Jordan Times.
The Greek patriarch made a pledge following his enthronement in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre in 2005, replacing his fellow Irineos I, who was dismissed over sales of church land in Jerusalem to Jewish investors.
"They are selling all our assets and ruling us the way they like," said a 64-year-old woman from Ajloun, where Archimandrite Atallah serves.
Despite frequent attempts yesterday, sources at the Jerusalem-based patriarchate were unavailable for comment.
Organisers of yesterday's protest handed Bishop Benedictos a letter containing their demands.
"I will transfer the letter to the patriarch," Benedictos told The Jordan Times in a phone interview yesterday, refusing to elaborate on the matter.
Yesterday's escalation followed a sit-in last week in front of the Amman church court.
Organisers of the Amman protest read a letter they received from the Orthodox congregation in the West Bank city of Ramallah, calling for an "end to this colonisation of our church's assets".
"The patriarchate's policy of leaking the church's lands to Zionist sides is not stopping," the letter warned.
It added that Atallah's dismissal, which a spokesperson of Theophilus has deemed an "ordinary measure without personal agenda", is part of a "series of measures aiming to keep away Arab clergymen from decision making in church foundations".
Atallah is one of three clergymen whose salaries were suspended in 2007 after they took part in an Amman meeting that called on Jordan's government and the Palestinian Authority to revoke the patriarch's recognition because he did not fulfil his commitments.
Palestinian Bishop Atallah Hanna and Archimandrite Milathius Basal have also been transferred from their areas of service.
The discovery of the violations has pushed Orthodox Christians to demand the Arabising of their church leadership.
"I am completely for Arabising the church leadership; we should have an organised plan to reach this goal," said Azmi Shahin, director of the National Orthodox School in Amman.
"Everyone in this country, including Muslims, is required to support us in this cause," Shahin told The Jordan Times at yesterday's protest.
© Jordan Times 2009
