VZCZCXRO0863
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHTH #1021/01 1410459
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
O 210459Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY ATHENS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9144
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS PRIORITY 0259
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PRIORITY 0853
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM PRIORITY 0209

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ATHENS 001021 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/18/2017 
TAGS: PHUM KRIF PREL GR
SUBJECT: GREECE REQUESTS U.S. INTERVENTION IN JERUSALEM 
PATRIARCH AFFAIR 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR CHARLES RIES.  REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). 
 
¶1. (U) This is an action request for Department.  See 
paragraph 8. 
 
¶2. (C) SUMMARY: On May 18, MFA Secretary General Charalambos 
Rocanas requested U.S. assistance in defusing the leadership 
crisis in the Jerusalem Patriarchate of the Greek Orthodox 
Church following the May 12 decision of the Jordanian Council 
of Ministers to withdrawal recognition of Patriarch 
Theophilos III.  Rocanas said that while the immediate reason 
for the Jordanian decision was Theophilos' unwillingness to 
appoint a favored Arab as bishop and his failure to recover 
land in east Jerusalem sold to the Israelis by his 
predecessor, behind the decision were various nefarious 
interests, including Jordanian real-estate power Prince Gazi, 
the Russian Orthodox Church, and Hamas.  Rocanas requested 
the U.S. quietly ask Jordanian King Abdullah not to ratify 
the Council of Ministers' decision and ask the Israelis to 
end their two-year non-recognition of Theophilos.  Rocanas 
cited the U.S. interest in maintaining the autonomy and 
religious freedom of the Jerusalem Patriarchate, stemming the 
growing hegemony of the Russian Orthodox Church, and keeping 
Hamas radicals out.  END SUMMARY. 
 
A COMPLICATED ISSUE 
------------------- 
 
¶3. (C) On May 18, Ambassador was invited to the MFA by SecGen 
Rocanas at the instruction of FM Bakoyannis to request U.S. 
help in resolving the leadership crisis in the Jerusalem 
Patriarchate of the Greek Orthodox Church following the May 
12 decision of the Jordanian Council of Ministers to 
withdrawal recognition of Patriarch Theophilos III.  Rocanas 
painted a complicated picture of competing religious, 
national, and financial interests that contributed to the 
crisis.  The ostensible reason for the Jordanian 
de-recognition decision was Theophilos' purported 
unwillingness to follow-through on a previous commitment to 
appoint more Arab bishops.  Rocanas said Theophilos had been 
"blackmailed" into making this commitment, but that he 
nevertheless was willing to meet it.  He had, in fact, 
already appointed an Arab priest, although another had 
recently died.  Theophilos, however, was drawing the line at 
elevating Arab Orthodox Archimandrite priest Christophoros to 
the position of bishop, as some powerful Jordanians wished. 
Another immediate reason for the Jordanian decision, 
according to Rocanas, was anger amongst Jordanians at 
Theophilos' failure to recover land in east Jerusalem sold to 
the Israelis by previous Patriarch Irenaios.  Irenaios 
continues to enjoy official recognition by Israel, which 
Rocanas said was further complicating the situation and 
weakening Theophilos' position.  NOTE: The Israeli position 
could be reversed, however, following an expected May 21 
ruling by the Israeli Supreme Court on Theophilos' petition 
to gain recognition by the Israeli government.  END NOTE. 
 
NEFARIOUS INTERESTS 
------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) Behind these immediate reasons for the Jordanian 
decision, however, Rocanas cited a number of other more 
sinister causes.  One was Jordanian Prince Gazi bin Muhammad, 
who had been appointed by King Abdullah to manage religious 
affairs, though Theophilos believed he lacked qualifications. 
 Rocanas said Gazi wished to exploit religious shrines for 
personal gain, noting his plans to develop as a paid tourist 
attraction the site on the River Jordan where some believe 
Jesus was baptized.  Theophilos refused to be part of such 
exploitation and had "no interest in commercialization." 
 
¶5. (C) Rocanas suggested that Gazi, in turn, was cozying up 
to the Russian Orthodox Church for support.  Rocanas pointed 
out that Putin recently visited Jordan, and there are 
indications that Jordanian attitudes toward Theophilos 
hardened following Putin's visit.  Rocanas said the GoG was 
afraid Gazi was aligning himself with Russian interests in 
weakening the Greek Orthodox Church.  On top of all this, 
Palestinian Hamas was piling-on by publicly calling on the 
Palestinian Authority to remove its recognition of 
Theophilos, who they believed was remiss in not acting more 
aggressively to reverse Israeli land purchases approved by 
Irenaios. 
 
WHAT IS TO BE DONE? 
------------------- 
 
¶6. (C) Rocanas said the GoG believed the key to defusing the 
crisis was to persuade Kind Abdullah not to ratify the 
 
ATHENS 00001021  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
decision of the Council of Ministers.  The Greeks had 
approached the Jordanians, telling them that the decision was 
ill-timed and contrary to Jordanian law, which held that the 
Council of Ministers was only empowered to ratify decisions 
of the Orthodox Synod, not take decisions regarding the 
Church on its own.  The GoG believed that the King would 
support Theophilos if he understood the situation, but access 
to him was blocked by Prince Gazi and Director of the 
Jordanian General Intelligence Directorate (GID) Muhammad 
Dhahabi, who "is more powerful than the Jordanian Prime 
Minister."  FM Dora Bakoyannis would travel to Jordan during 
her Middle East trip in June, but thus far she had not been 
granted an audience with the King.  The King's brother was 
visiting Olympia in Greece this Sunday, and Rocanas would try 
to discuss the situation with him. 
 
¶7. (S) Rocanas was asking for U.S. assistance because of the 
access they believed we had to the King.  Moreover, the 
Greeks understood that our Embassy in Amman had special 
access to Jordanian Intelligence chief Dhahabi.  The Greeks 
were not requesting us to get them or Theophilos an audience 
with the King.  Rather, they wanted us to discuss the 
situation with the King quietly.  They also asked that we 
discuss with the Israelis th%)r fai,5re t/ recgg.ize 
Theophilos, which was incReasingly not in their interest, 
given growinc Arab oppoSitioj to the Patriarch.  For the U.S.Q 
the queqTign should be one of religioUs freedom and respect 
for the autonomy of the Greek OrthodoX Patriarchate in 
Jerusalem.  The centuries-old Patriarchate was one of the few 
instit54ikn1 that straddles the Arab-Israeli divide in 
Jerusalem and the West bank, he added.  Rocanas said the U.S. 
also had an interest in stemming the rising tide of the 
Russian Orthodox Church's hegemony and keeping Hamas radicals 
out of the situation. 
 
¶8. (U) Action requested: Washington guidance for responding 
to the Greek request. 
RIES