[Peterli]

Pertinent to this is also the assessment of one of the hierarchs of the Jerusalem Patriarchate recounted by Fr Andrew Philips in his account of the recent visit of a delegation from ROCOR to Russia in order to meet with the Church representatives there to resolve ongoing internal issues. In the course of their visit, they met with Metropolitan Vladimir of St Petersburg and they are joined at dinner by Archbishop Theodosius of the Jerusalem Patriarchate. Here is Fr Andrew's account:

Then we walk across to the Metropolia, where Metr Vladimir awaits us for dinner. 81 years old and born in Kazakhstan, he asks Archbishop Theodosius, the only Arab bishop of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, who is accompanying us, about the situation in Syria. (They speak in English, though the Metropolitan needs a little translation help). Years ago Metr Vladimir spent nearly two years in Damascus as a priest. Archbishop Theodosius confirms that if President Assad falls, Christians will be forced to leave completely, for many have already been massacred there by the American-armed Muslim fanatics. It will be the end of the Patriarchate of Antioch in Syria. Already forced out of Antioch (which is in Turkey), instead of being the Patriarchate of Damascus, as it actually has been for decades, it will be the Patriarchate of somewhere else – although still retaining the historic title ‘of Antioch’. Fr David