Pilgrims from the Zhytomyr Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church visited the Holy Land and met with Patriarch Theophilos

A group of believers from the Zhytomyr Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church completed a seven-day pilgrimage to the Holy Land, which culminated in an audience with Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem. During the trip, the pilgrims not only venerated key Christian holy sites but also received a blessing from the Primate of the Church of Jerusalem. This was reported by the press service of the Zhytomyr Diocese of the UOC.

As part of a packed itinerary, the pilgrims visited the holy sites of Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Jaffa, Cana of Galilee, Capernaum, and Lydda. A special highlight for the group was their participation in the festive Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on the feast day of the First-Hierarchal Apostles Peter and Paul, where the faithful were able to receive Holy Communion.

The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem personally spoke with the delegation members and, as a memento of the meeting, presented each pilgrim with an icon of the Mother of God known as “Jerusalem.” The diocese emphasized that this journey was an important time for communal prayer and spiritual strengthening.

In addition to official meetings, the pilgrims walked the Way of the Cross, visited the monasteries of St. Gerasimus of the Jordan, Theodosius the Kinovarch, and Savvas the Sanctified, and also performed the traditional ablution in the waters of the Jordan River. The trip allowed the faithful to visit the sites associated with the earthly lives of Jesus Christ and the Most Holy Theotokos, as well as to visit significant Christian churches and monasteries in the region.

As a reminder, we previously reported that a cleric of the Rivne Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, , took part in solemn divine services in Georgia on the eve of Pentecost, concelebrating with Georgian Patriarch Shio. During the visit, the preservation of canonical communion between the UOC and the Georgian Orthodox Church was emphasized.