Orthodox discipline
The week's news at a glance.
Istanbul
In a rare display of unity, the patriarchs of the main Orthodox Christian churches voted this week to stop recognizing the patriarch of Jerusalem, Irineos I. Patriarch Irineos plunged the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem into crisis by reportedly leasing church property in east Jerusalem to Jewish investors. Angry Palestinians said the deal amounted to a Jewish takeover of Palestinian land, and the issue became a huge embarrassment to the Orthodox Church. The vote this week, at a pan-Orthodox meeting in Istanbul, does not formally remove Irineos. Only his own church members in Jerusalem can do that. But Irineos, knowing he would be removed, has refused to convene a synod. Most Greek Orthodox worshippers in Jerusalem are Palestinians.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Here We Are: Stephen Sondheim's 'utterly absorbing' final musical
The Week Recommends The musical theatre legend's last work is 'witty, wry and suddenly wise'
-
The Trial: 'sharp' legal drama with a 'clever' script
The Week Recommends Channel 5's one-off show imagines a near future where parents face trial for their children's crimes
-
Riefenstahl: a 'gripping and incrementally nauseating' documentary
The Week Recommends Andres Veiel's nuanced film examines whether the controversial film director was complicit in Nazi war crimes