Zhytomyr Eparchy pilgrims meet Patriarch Theophilos in Jerusalem
Pilgrims from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church venerated the holy sites of the Holy Land and received the blessing of the Primate of the Jerusalem Church.
A group of pilgrims from the Zhytomyr Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church completed a seven-day pilgrimage to the Holy Land, during which they visited Jerusalem Patriarch Theophilos. This was reported by the diocesan press service.
During their stay in Israel, the pilgrims visited the main Christian shrines of Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Jaffa, Cana of Galilee, Capernaum, and Lydda.
It is noted that a special event of the trip was the meeting with Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All Palestine Theophilos III. In memory of the meeting, the Primate of the Jerusalem Orthodox Church presented each pilgrim with an icon of the Mother of God "Jerusalem."
On the feast day of the holy chief Apostles Peter and Paul, the worshippers prayed at the festive Divine Liturgy in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and received Holy Communion.
The pilgrims also walked the Way of the Cross of the Saviour to Golgotha, visited the Praetorium, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Valley of Jehoshaphat, the place of the Dormition and the tomb of the Most Holy Theotokos, and also venerated the wonderworking icons of the Mother of God "Jerusalem," "Bethlehem," and "Lydda."
During the pilgrimage, the group visited the monasteries of Venerable Gerasimus of the Jordan, Venerable Theodosius the Cenobiarch, Venerable Sabbas the Sanctified, the Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Monastery of the Holy Cross, and other shrines of the Holy Land. The worshippers also immersed themselves in the waters of the Jordan River, where the Lord Jesus Christ was baptized.
The Zhytomyr Diocese noted that the pilgrimage became for its participants a time of communal prayer, spiritual strengthening, and a touching of the places of the earthly life of the Saviour and the Most Holy Theotokos.
As the UOJ reported, the Patriarch of Constantinople received the head of the Jerusalem Church at the Phanar.
