The Armenian Apostolic Patriarchate of Jerusalem, in a Saturday statement claiming to be from the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in the Holy Land, condemned Christian Zionism as a ‘damaging’ ideology.
The statement, which does not appear on the official website of the Jerusalem Patriarchate nor on its social media, condemned “local individuals who advance damaging ideologies, such as Christian Zionism.”
Claiming such actors are working to “mislead the public, sow confusion, and harm the unity of our flock,” the statement alleged that the individuals had found support from political figures in Israel with their own agendas.
These political agendas were alleged to have potential harm on the status of “Christian presence in the Holy Land and the wider Middle East.”
“To claim authority outside the communion of the Church is to wound the unity of the faithful and burden the pastoral mission entrusted to the historic churches in the very land where our Lord lived, taught, suffered, and rose from the dead,” the statement warned.
“The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem reiterate that they alone represent the Churches and their flock in matters pertaining to Christian religious, communal, and pastoral life in the Holy Land.”
The patriarchate was also critical of how local individuals had been embraced both nationally and internationally.
The circumstances around the statement are unclear. The Jerusalem Post has contacted the officials for clarification.
Council of Patriarchs finds threats to Christians in Israel, West Bank, Gaza
The statement comes after a recent report by the Council of Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem found “threats to Christian heritage – particularly in Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank, and Gaza alongside issues of unjustified taxation – are the source of ongoing concerns that threaten the existence of the community and the churches.”
The report added there was an “urgent need to protect Christian communities and our places of worship extend throughout the West Bank, where settler attacks increasingly target our churches, people and properties.”
Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III condemned last week the rise of violence in both the West Bank and Jerusalem. In the same meeting, President Isaac Herzog addressed the recent migration of Christians from Israel last week, telling faith leaders, “This is their home as it is my home as it is our home.”
On the same day the statement was issued, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas received a delegation of bishops from the Evangelical Lutheran Church, where the PA-run WAFA reported he affirmed his support for the continued presence of Christians in Palestinian territory.
The delegation included Rev. Dr Imad Haddad, who was consecrated Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land last week.