Patriarch of Antioch sends strong letter to Jerusalem over Qatar

Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East. Photo: Facebook of the Antiochian Patriarchate

Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East has addressed a letter to Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem and All Palestine, expressing sorrow and deep disappointment over the recent decision of the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem to appoint a new Archbishop of Qatar. The letter, dated May 16, 2025, criticizes the actions of the Jerusalem Patriarchate.

In his message, Patriarch John expressed his deep disappointment with the fact that on May 15, 2025, the Jerusalem Patriarchate announced the transfer of Archbishop Makarios of Qatar to the position of Metropolitan of Ptolemais (Acre) and the appointment of Archbishop Aristovoulos of Madaba in his place. This decision, according to the Patriarch of Antioch, " disregarded all our hopes, dismissed every good-faith initiative, and undermined all efforts aimed at reconciliation and the bridging of perspectives on this issue."

The head of the Antiochian Church recalled the origins of the jurisdictional dispute that dates back to 2013, stating that the Church of Antioch “has spared no effort in fostering dialogue and seeking reconciliation – both prior to and following the severing of communion with your Patriarchate.” He underlined that the new appointment “fundamentally undermines all the progress that had been made,” even after communion was restored between the two Churches.

 The letter pays special attention to the fact that the Antiochian Church restored ecclesiastical communion with the Jerusalem Patriarchate during the war in Gaza, showing solidarity with their brothers during difficult times. "Our decision to restore ecclesiastical communion was made with the clear understanding that the issue at hand would be further pursued and resolved through mutual agreement.” Patriarch John X personally visited the Church of Saints Isaac and George in Qatar and met with Metropolitan Makarios and the Antiochian faithful living there.

Patriarch John noted that mediation efforts through Archbishop Christophoros of Amman had “progressed steadily” and “had come very close to yielding a viable resolution.” However, despite all these steps, the Jerusalem Patriarchate made a decision that the Antiochian Patriarch sees as disregarding all previous efforts to resolve the dispute.

According to the documents of the Holy Synod of Jerusalem, the meeting at which the controversial decision was made took place on May 15, 2025, under the chairmanship of Patriarch Theophilos III. In addition to the changes concerning Qatar, ten other decisions regarding appointments within the Jerusalem Patriarchate were made during the session.

This conflict between the two ancient patriarchates has been ongoing for over ten years and remains one of the unresolved issues in inter-Orthodox relations.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that on October 21, 2023, the Holy Synod of the Antiochian Church decided to restore communion with the Jerusalem Patriarchate, which had been broken earlier due to disagreements over the jurisdiction of the territory of Qatar.

Read also