Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew sent a letter to Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, expressing the sympathy and support of the Great Church of Christ to him and the Hagiotaphite Brotherhood, some members of which have been infected with the COVID-19. This event forced the Patriarch of Jerusalem to postpone his visit scheduled for September 1 to the headquarters of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
“All your brothers in the Phanar share in the grief and suffering of the infected members of the Hagiotaphite Brotherhood with the new coronavirus, and we pray to the doctor of our souls and bodies to quickly heal those who are bedridden and return them to the sacred mission of guarding the holy places in the Holy Land under your strong leadership and paternal affection. We trust the grace of the Blessed Virgin Mary, of whom we celebrate the Dormition, to protect you and the members of the Hagiotaphite Brotherhood who are being tested,” says the Ecumenical Patriarch, in his letter dated August 28.