THE NAME DAY OF HIS BEATITUDE THE PATRIARCH OF JERUSALEM, THEOPHILOS III – Jerusalem Patriarchate

On Saturday, the 8th / 21st of March 2026, the Name Day of His Beatitude our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III of Jerusalem, was celebrated, having been transferred one day earlier, on account of the commemoration of the Holy Forty Martyrs on the 9th / 22nd of March, those who suffered martyrdom in the lake of Sebasteia in Pontus under the persecuting Emperor Licinius.

The commemoration of these holy martyrs, and in particular of the Holy Martyr Theophilos, upon whose memory the Primate of our Holy Church of Jerusalem glories, was observed according to the prescribed Church Rite, not in the Church of the Resurrection, which remains still closed due to the continuing war, but in the Patriarchal and Monastic Church of Saints Constantine and Helen.

The feast was celebrated from the preceding evening by Vespers, at which His Beatitude presided, while the Holy Sepulchre Hierarchs and Fathers were present in prayer. Likewise, it was celebrated by the Divine Liturgy in the morning in the same holy church, His Beatitude officiating, with co-celebrants their Eminences, the Metropolitans Kyriakos of Nazareth and Hesychios of Capitolias, the Elder Chief Secretary, Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina, and the clergy of the church: the responsible for the rites Archimandrite Alexios, Archimandrite Symeon, and Archimandrite Ioan, representative of the Patriarchate of Romania, together with representatives of the Patriarchate of Russia, Archdeacon Mark and Hierodeacon Prodromos.

Present in honour were also the Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem, Mr Dimitrios Angelosopoulos, and Consul Mrs Mantika, together with a small number of faithful, those who were able to overcome the adverse conditions of war and attend.

The Divine Liturgy was followed by a Doxology on the occasion of the Name Day of His Beatitude.

Immediately after the dismissal, the procession went to the Patriarchate Great Hall, where congratulatory addresses were offered to His Beatitude by the Elder Chief Secretary, by the Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem, Mr Dimitrios Angelosopoulos, and by all those whose names are mentioned in the thanksgiving words of His Beatitude.

At first, the Elder Chief Secretary, His Eminence Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina, addressed His Beatitude on behalf of the Holy Synod and the Holy Sepulchre Brotherhood as follows:

“Your Beatitude, Father and Master,

Today, the ninth of March, the Church celebrates the commemoration of the holy and glorious Forty Martyrs, who confessed Christ and suffered martyrdom in the lake of Sebasteia in Pontus during the reign of the persecuting Roman Emperor Licinius, in the years 320-324. By the courage and steadfast endurance of these martyrs, who were exposed throughout the whole night to the icy cold of the lake and yet did not yield, the whole Church is strengthened for the continuation of the struggle of fasting and for participation in the Passion of Christ and in His glorious Resurrection.

The whole Church rightly honours these martyrs, yet the Church of Jerusalem does so with particular solemnity, since her Primate, Your Beatitude, bears with honour the name of one among them, namely the holy martyr Theophilos.

For this reason, a festal Divine Liturgy with Doxology was celebrated in the Monastic Church of Saints Constantine and Helen, with the participation of all the Holy Sepulchre Brotherhood members and the faithful of its flock from within the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate in Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, and Qatar.

Having prayed for the health and steadfastness of Your revered Beatitude in “the tabernacle of the glory of the Lord,” as the hymnographer characterises the Church of the Resurrection, we are now gathered in this sacred house, as this historic hall of the Patriarchate is described by the illustrious among the Patriarchs of Jerusalem, Dositheos II of Jerusalem, to offer unto Your Beatitude our congratulatory praise for all those beneficial and salutary works which you have accomplished and continue to accomplish for the Patriarchate and for the Brotherhood.

Foremost among these should be recalled the continuation of the works of conservation, structural reinforcement, and adornment in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, among which now also stands the preservation of its historic gate, following upon the historic work accomplished some years ago in the restoration of the Holy Edicule. These works are now being followed by the restoration of the God-receiving Grotto of Bethlehem by expert technicians, in accordance with the established Status Quo of the Holy Places.

Likewise, ongoing are the structural works in the Cathedral Church of Saint James the Brother of the Lord, and the most recent construction of an iron vaulted covering for the chapel of the Myrrh-bearing Women adjoining that church, which had long remained without roofing after an earthquake damaged it many years ago.

To these restoration works has also been added the renovation of the building of the former Girls’ School of the Patriarchate, which functioned as the Primary School of the Greek Community of Jerusalem until the year 1967, and which is now used as a Kindergarten for the children of Jerusalem; likewise, the renovation of the great hall of the former Seminary School of Saint Demetrios, which now operates, under the financial support of the Patriarchate, as a secondary school and lyceum for the youth of Jerusalem irrespective of religion. This, too, is a sign of Your Beatitude’s concern for the cultivation of education.

No less has continued the conservation, cataloguing, and classification of the Patriarchate’s archival documents and its precious treasures in the recently inaugurated Museum, under the care of the expert Cypriot conservator Mr Stavros Andreou.

Undiminished also has been Your Beatitude’s concern for the reception of the many pilgrims who, before the outbreak of the present destructive war, would that it had never arisen, flocked here from the Orthodox countries of Greece, Russia, Romania, Ukraine, Moldova, and others, and for the time devoted personally by Your Beatitude to their spiritual guidance, so that they might understand the benefit of pilgrimage and the strengthening of their faith through veneration of the All-Holy Tomb, of dreadful Golgotha, and of the other most holy Shrines, and likewise be safeguarded against those theories now being promoted which seek the erasure of the national, religious, and even biological identity of mankind.

Such a reception was also found by the children of the flock of our Patriarchate. Whenever they sought it, the door of the Patriarchate stood open unto them; they found in the Patriarchate their point of reference for moral and material support, especially during such a period of raging, destructive war.

The Christian identity of the indigenous Christians of all confessions, together with their rights in their native Holy Land, has been safeguarded by Your Beatitude through the convocation, every two months and on the occasion of the feasts, of the Heads of the Churches, and through the adoption of decisions and measures, with the advocacy and support of diplomatic representatives of various states, for protection against extremist fanatical elements who violently seize their properties. In these meetings, our Patriarchate, under your guidance, has been constantly present, exercising a leading and decisive role in the developments on each occasion.

Together with the local Orthodox Churches, Your Beatitude has striven to preserve Eucharistic communion and reduce the tension created by the regrettable interruption of full communion among some of them. In recognition of this, the Orthodox Churches respond in a spirit of brotherly love whenever the Patriarchate requests their assistance in addressing its shortage of clergy through the temporary secondment of priests to serve among us for shorter or longer periods.

Moreover, Your Beatitude has maintained relations of cooperation with the non-Orthodox Churches, sending representatives to the theological dialogues they cultivate, with a view to fostering at least a relative common Christian witness before the world, oriented toward the desired unity in accordance with the ancient tradition of the Church.

Under the care of Your Beatitude, most of the Orthodox Churches, together with non-Orthodox Churches and representatives of states, gathered in response to the invitation of the King of Jordan at the meeting of the Aqaba Process.

Undoubtedly, however, one of the greatest achievements of Your Patriarchal Office has been the successful resolution of the recently arisen Sinai matter, securing the status of the Sacred Monastery of Saint Catherine’s Monastery and the lawful rights of the Patriarchate therein through the election of a new Archbishop of Sinai and his enthronement by Your Beatitude upon his See.

The matters mentioned above, Your Beatitude, are but a few gleanings from the meadow of your abundant pastoral activity, recalled not for boasting or pride, especially when the Apostle of the Nations says, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of the Lord” (Galatians 6:14), but rather for encouragement and strengthening in our own struggle as Holy Sepulchre Fathers, toward noble emulation among ourselves and in obedience unto you, that we may attain perfection, according to the commandment of the Lord: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

Raising the cup, Your Beatitude, I wish unto you, in the name of the Brotherhood and of the Holy and Sacred Synod, many happy returns, peaceful, steadfast, fruitful, and blessed, full of Divine Grace and heavenly assistance, that you may continue and further enrich your already abundant, many-sided, precious, and God-pleasing Patriarchal ministry, unto the praise of our blessed nation and unto the glory of our Triune God. Amen.”

Then the Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem, Mr Angelosopoulos, delivered the following address:

“Your Beatitude,

As we join You today in celebrating Your revered Name Day, I have the particular honour and sincere joy, on behalf of the Hellenic Republic, to convey to You our warmest wishes for health, longevity, happiness, and continued success in the lofty and demanding mission which You have undertaken and fulfil with devotion, in the service of the venerable Patriarchate of Jerusalem and of Your flock. On the occasion of today’s feast, we reflect upon Your tireless struggle and honour Your work with a profound sense of respect.

Together with our heartfelt wishes, I have the honour to express to You our high esteem and sincere gratitude for the exceptionally fruitful communication and practical cooperation that have developed between the Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Hellenic Republic. For Greece, support for the Sacred Institution and the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre in their guardianship of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and of the other holy shrines in the Holy Land constitutes a matter of the highest priority for the tradition, values, and identity of the whole of Hellenism.

A rapid succession of visits by senior Greek officials in recent years has advanced this cooperation, confirming our country’s steadfast commitment to the firm support of the Patriarchate’s ancient rights and privileges. We are sincerely grateful for the consistently warm and particularly gracious welcome and hospitality which You extend, as well as for Your wise guidance in the face of the historic challenges which we have confronted and continue to confront side by side. We are likewise deeply satisfied and grateful for the opportunity You have afforded us to cooperate in Your important work of restoration, as recently in the embellishment and rehabilitation of the Catholicon of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, at the Grotto of the Nativity, and in the renovation of the Kindergarten of Saint Demetrios.

We look forward with great anticipation, Your Beatitude, to Your visit to Athens, postponed owing to the ongoing war, when circumstances permit, a visit which I am certain will further promote and strengthen cooperation between Greece and the Patriarchate.

For two and a half years, our region has been shaken by successive escalations of an unending armed conflict, which have not only intensified violence and human suffering, especially in the troubled Holy Land, but now threaten the very foundations of the international legal order and coexistence grounded in principles and the rule of law. In this dangerous environment, the stance, the voice of Your Beatitude, and the work of the Patriarchate serve as a guide toward reason, compassion, reconciliation, and peace. We thank You for the example of courage, fortitude, endurance, and sobriety which You offer. We are proud to unite our voice with Yours and to stand beside the Patriarchate, the Brotherhood, and the Christian communities here. And despite these difficult times and the prevailing restrictions, we shall soon celebrate Holy Pascha at Your side.

Your Beatitude, from the depths of my heart I personally wish You, together with my colleagues at the Consulate General of Greece in Jerusalem, many returns, happy and blessed.”

Finally, His Beatitude delivered the following address:

“Bearing the present things courageously, rejoicing in those things hoped for, the holy Martyrs said one to another: Do we not merely put off a garment? Nay rather, we put off the old man. Bitter is the winter, yet sweet is Paradise. Painful is the freezing, yet delightful is the enjoyment. Let us not therefore draw back, O fellow-soldiers; let us endure a little, that we may be crowned with the wreaths of victory, through Christ God, the Saviour of our souls,” the hymnographer of the Church cries aloud.

Your Excellency, Consul General of Greece, Mr Dimitris Angelosopoulos,
Reverend Holy Fathers and Brethren,
Pious Christians and pilgrims,

“My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh bless His holy Name for ever and ever” (Psalms 145:21), the Holy Church of Christ proclaims with gladness through her Psalmist, on the radiant sacred commemoration shining forth this day of the Holy Forty Martyrs and of their fellow-martyr Theophilus, who suffered martyrdom in the city of Sebasteia.

The mouth of the holy Martyrs also uttered the praise of the Lord, for with free voice, boldly and courageously, they declared themselves to be Christians. Wherefore Basil of Caesarea cries aloud in praise of them: “O blessed tongues, which gave forth that sacred voice, which the air receiving was sanctified, angels hearing applauded, the devil with his demons was wounded, and the Lord in heaven recorded.”

The common confession of each one of the Holy Forty Martyrs before their persecutors, namely “I am a Christian,” was accounted a crime against reverence, that is to say, against their faith in God and Saviour Christ, “Who became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross” (Philippians 2:8). “Thou art righteous, which art, and wast,”  Saint John the Apostle says (Revelation 5). The eyes of the martyrs of Christ’s love fixed their gaze upon this Righteous One, His salvation, and His righteousness.

The prize-bearing martyrs accomplished this, hearkening unto the commandment of the divine Paul who proclaims: “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour” (Ephesians 5:1–2). Interpreting this saying, Theodoretos of Cyrus declares: “For being about to exhort us to imitate God, Paul enjoined the same concerning the Son also; and as he said concerning the Father that He forgave us, so likewise concerning Christ, that He loved us and gave Himself for us.” And Saint John Chrysostom says: “Seest thou that to suffer for enemies is a sweet savour and an acceptable sacrifice? Even if thou die, then shalt thou be a sacrifice: this is to imitate God.”

The holy martyrs in general, and the glorious Forty in particular, whose “city is the City of God… the Jerusalem above, which is free; and though the human race is divided one from another, the spiritual race is one in all,” according to Basil of Caesarea, offered themselves as a sacrifice unto God the Father, imitating His Son and Word, our Saviour Jesus Christ, Who said: “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Myself” (John 12:32).

Rightly then do we ask why our Holy Church especially honours and magnifies the memory of the holy Martyrs. It is because Christ is Himself the witness of the Blood of our salvation, proclaiming and saying: “The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (Gospel of John 15:20). By this word Christ reveals the perfect form of participation of those who follow Him in His testimony and His redeeming mission: “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24).

The deeper meaning of the blood of martyrdom is expressed most vividly in a hymnographic manner by Saint Andrew of Crete, who says: “Thy Body and Thy Blood, O Word, when Thou wast crucified for all, Thou didst set forth: Thy Body, that Thou mightest fashion me anew; Thy Blood, that Thou mightest wash me clean. Thou gavest up Thy Spirit, O Christ, that Thou mightest bring me unto Thy Father.”

And the God-inspired choir of the Holy Forty Martyrs, with one mouth, said unto the Lord: “For our feet have been dyed in our own blood,” hearkening unto the testimony of Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist: “But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the Blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

The commemoration now being accomplished of the natal day of the Holy Forty Martyrs and of their fellow-martyr Theophilos, whose venerable name Our Mediocrity bears, is indeed a good and blessed act. And this is so, because the holy Martyrs, who made earth heavenly, were manifested as luminaries of the inhabited world, that is to say, heralds of the redeeming Passion of the Cross of our Saviour Christ and of His Resurrection, being strengthened by the words of the divine Paul: “For this corruptible (body) must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality; then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:53, 55).

Our Holy Church of Jerusalem, reverencing the sacred memory of the saints who suffered martyrdom in the city of Sebasteia, and especially of their fellow-martyr Theophilos, celebrated “the mystical blessing,” namely the great Mystery of the Divine Eucharist, in the midst of the prevailing war crisis, not, as would have been fitting, in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, but in the Patriarchal and Monastic Church of the Saints Constantine the Great and Helen, with Our Mediocrity presiding, surrounded by the honourable members of our venerable Holy Sepulchre Brotherhood, hierarchs, priests, and hierodeacons, while pious Christians of our devout Rum Orthodox flock and visiting pilgrims joined us in prayer.

Moreover, we offered a thanksgiving doxology unto the Holy Triune God on the occasion of Our revered Name-day, bearing as we do the name of the prize-winning Theophilos, one of the Holy Forty Martyrs, whose annual memory we celebrate, “giving thanks unto God the Father… who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (cf. Colossians 1:13).

It must be noted that this festal commemoration of the glorious Martyrs and of their fellow-martyr Theophilos concerns not Our Mediocrity, but chiefly and above all the Apostolic and Patriarchal institution constituted by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, Who “is the Head of the Church, which is His Body” (cf. Ephesians 1:23; Colossians 1:18), and which “He hath purchased with His own Blood” (Acts 20:28). Of this redeeming Blood of our Saviour Christ the Holy Forty Martyrs also became partakers and sharers.

Today, the God-inspired choir of the holy Martyrs, “who went through fire and through water” (Psalms 66:12), and who in wars showed manly valour, presents through their sacred memory a dew-bearing breeze of refreshment and consolation amid the threat of fire from the continuing war crisis in the world generally and in our own region particularly. These adamantine martyrs of endurance, who became imitators of the passionless Passion of Christ, call us likewise to become imitators of them in faith, patience, hope, and the love of Christ. And we say this because, according to Clement of Alexandria, “we call martyrdom perfection, not because a man hath reached the end of life as others do, but because he hath manifested a perfect work of love.”

It is precisely this “perfect work of love” that the ever-memorable Forty Martyrs proclaim, they who, according to Basil of Caesarea, were “joined together one to another in concord through love.” Of those holy Martyrs is the voice of the divine Paul: “endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). This message of unity, reconciliation, peace, and love is proclaimed unto us by the Martyrs of Christ whom we celebrate today, according to the Psalmist: “There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard” (Psalms 19:3). Let us also hear these voices of the testimony of the righteousness and truth of our Saviour Christ, beloved brethren, during this blessed arena of fasting and temperance of Holy and Great Lent, that with great power we may proclaim the witness of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Acts 4:33).

Having therefore as fellow-workers and helpers the Holy Forty Martyrs and their fellow-martyr and our protector Theophilos, together with the Most blessed Ever-Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus, the Theotokos, let us beseech her that in peace, humility, and repentance we may be counted worthy to celebrate the Holy Resurrection, namely the mystical Pascha of God and our Saviour Christ.

And for these things, we invoke upon all who have prayed with us and honoured this festal commemoration of the holy Martyrs the power from on high, the gift of the Holy Spirit, the grace of the All-Holy and Life-giving Tomb, patience, and divine blessing from God, expressing warm thanks also unto those who addressed us, especially the Elder Chief Secretary, His Eminence Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina, who spoke on behalf of the members of the Holy and Sacred Synod and of our Holy Sepulchre Brotherhood. His Excellency the Consul General of Greece Mr Dimitrios Angelosopoulos; the Reverend Archimandrite Vassianos, who had come the previous day as representative of the sister Most Holy Church of Russia, conveying to Us the good wishes of His Beatitude Patriarch Kyrill of Moscow; the Chief Secretary of the Moscow Patriarchate, His Eminence Anthony of Volokolamsk; the Reverend Archimandrite Romanos who spoke on behalf of the Russian Church ROCOR; the Reverend Archimandrite Ioan, representative of the sister Most Holy Church of Romania, conveying to Us the good wishes of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of Romania; His Eminence Metropolitan Kyriakos of Nazareth, speaking on behalf of our flock in Nazareth; His Eminence Metropolitan Benedictos of Diocaesarea, speaking on behalf of our flock in Bethlehem; His Eminence Archbishop Damaskinos of Yaffo, speaking on behalf of our flock in Yaffo; the Reverend Archimandrite Raphael, speaking on behalf of our pious flock in Jordan and of Archbishop Christophoros of Kyriakoupolis; the Reverend Farah Bandour, speaking on behalf of the Cathedral of Saint James the Brother of God; His Eminence Metropolitan Makarios of Acre-Ptolemais, speaking on behalf of our pious flock in Acre; and Mrs Maria Zozonaki, speaking on behalf of the European Public Law Organisation, together with all who honoured Us by their presence.

His Beatitude concluded with the words:  “To the health of you all!”

At midday, a festal luncheon followed.

From the Chief Secretariat