The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate declared the Patriarch Theophilus III, the Patriarch of Jerusalem and other works of Palestine and Jordan, donated half a million shekels to the "Waqf al-Ezz" fund, within the framework of the role of the Jerusalem Patriarchate and its social responsibility to provide everything possible to enhance the steadfastness of citizens in Facing the Corona Virus, despite the financial hardship the Orthodox Church is going through.
This donation comes as part of a series of donations and relief campaigns launched by the Patriarch Theophilus III since the announcement of the Corona virus, and the declaration of a state of emergency in the country, where the Patriarchate, with the instructions of Patriarch Theophilos III, had distributed hundreds of food parcels in different areas of the city of Jerusalem, That came shortly after the announcement of the Patriarch’s decision to exempt tenants of Orthodox real estate within the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem from the rents for the year 2020. The Jerusalem Patriarchate also implemented a campaign in support of the Bethlehem Governorate, through which 1,200 food parcels were distributed to the cities of Rude, in addition to a donation of $ 50,000 to the Jordanian Ministry of Health to contribute to supporting its efforts to fight the epidemic.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem declared that the Patriarch Theophilus III was studying the possibilities of expanding the campaign for distributing food parcels to different areas of the West Bank, in addition to making donations to different parties working to confront the Corona epidemic.
It is noteworthy that the "Waqf Ezz" fund is a national fund established by the Prime Minister Dr. Muhammad Shtayyeh, with the approval of President Mahmoud Abbas, with the aim of collecting donations and support from Palestinian society during the state of emergency declared in light of the crisis of the spread of the Coronavirus. The fund is chaired by Palestinian businessman Talal Nasser Al-Din, and focuses in its donations on supporting families in need and affected by the Corona crisis through the Ministry of Social Development, in addition to supporting the health sector through the Palestinian Ministry of Health. The donation of the Patriarch Theophilus III came in response to the appeal made by the President of the Fund Nasser Al-Din to the various segments of society in order to join hands in their efforts to donate to the Fund in order to contribute to strengthening national efforts to support the affected sectors, families in need and the poor, and the health sector, to get out of this crisis with the least possible damage.
