Zhytomyr Eparchy pilgrims meet Patriarch Theophilos in Jerusalem

A group of pilgrims from the Zhytomyr Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church completed a seven-day pilgrimage to the Holy Land, during which they met with Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, the eparchy's press service reported.

During their stay in Israel, the pilgrims visited the principal Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Jaffa, Cana of Galilee, Capernaum, and Lydda.

According to the eparchy, the highlight of the pilgrimage was the audience with Patriarch Theophilos III of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All Palestine. To commemorate the meeting, the Primate of the Jerusalem Orthodox Church presented each pilgrim with an icon of the Jerusalem Mother of God.

On the feast of the Holy Chief Apostles Peter and Paul, the pilgrims attended the festal Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and received Holy Communion.

They also walked the Via Dolorosa to Golgotha, visited the Praetorium, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Valley of Jehoshaphat, the site of the Dormition and the Tomb of the Most Holy Theotokos, and venerated the wonderworking Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Lydda icons of the Mother of God.

The pilgrimage also included visits to the monasteries of St. Gerasimos of the Jordan, St. Theodosius the Cenobiarch, St. Sabbas the Sanctified, the Monastery of the Transfiguration, the Monastery of the Holy Cross, and other holy places of the Holy Land. The pilgrims also immersed themselves in the waters of the Jordan River, where the Lord Jesus Christ was baptized.

The Zhytomyr Eparchy said the pilgrimage became a time of common prayer, spiritual renewal, and a profound encounter with the places connected to the earthly life of the Savior and the Most Holy Theotokos.

As the UOJ reported earlier, the Patriarch of Constantinople received the Primate of the Jerusalem Church at the Phanar.