Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1889-10-04
THE EASTERN POPE.
AN AUDIENCE WITH THE PATRI-
ARCH OF JERUSALEM.
A Court of Glory Outshining the
Pomp of Kings - The Patri-
arch's Appearance-Stra
Court FormaIfties

triarch of Jerusalem has charge of the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and as
the head of the Greek Church in Syria,
Palestine and Arabia he is to his people
the Pope of the East. The Greek Church
contains about 62, 200, 600 members in
Russia number equal to the popula-
ton of the United States 1t has about
5000, 900 in Greece and Turkey, and it
is in Jerusalem the most powerful and
the richest church of all the denomina-
tions represented there. There is no
King in the world who appears in such
splendor upon state occasions as the
Patriarch of Jerusalem. He wears cloth
of gold, and his great hat is covered
with magnificent diamonds, emeralds and
rubies His bishops who march with
him have crosses of diamonds hanging to
their necks, and their dresses are of gold
and silver brocade, and the mitre and
other church implements are of solid
gold and silver. In the treasury of the
Greek Church here there are jewels which
would make the treasury of many pal
ace commonplace, and the rich men and
the Kings of the world have for genera
tions been giving to this collection, think
ing that in so doing they have been buy
ing their way into heaven.
The Patriarch of Jerusalem lives in
one of the biggest and best mansions of
the Holy City. The American Consul
and myself in going to it wound in and
out through narrow vaulted streets. We
passed through arcades, and with the aid
of the consular cavssses pushed our way
through the dense crowds of pilgrims,
Bedouins and Syrians, which are filing
the Holy City during this holy week.
We went of course in Oriental state,
dressed in our black morning coats, and
preceded by the cavasses. The ca
vases are the guard of the Consul on
state occasions.
At the Patriarch's mansion, which in
deed is only big, plain, stone house of
two stories, we were met by several
priests in long black gowns, which fell IN
full folds from their necks to their feet,
and in tall, round, black caps, with capes
falling down upon their backs. These
put their hands to their foreheads as we
entered and motioned us to come in. We
then ascended wide stairway at the
sides, on which were brass ratings, and
at the top of which stood more priests
similarly attired. Here we were taken
into great hall where the portraits of
the Patriarchs of the past looked down
upon us out of gold frames, and then on
into a second grand salon in which were
a number of Turkish soldiers and church
dignitaries, and at the back of which in
a chair of state sat the Patriarch himself
He rose as he saw us and moved toward
us. Tall, broad -shouldered and well
formed, he is one of the finest looking
public men l have ever seen.
He has a magnificent head, well set
on pair of broad shoulders; large, in
tellectual eyes, big, straight nose and a
long, patriarchal beard of sable silver
His high forehead was bordered with
black cap of fine cloth, which rose for
full six inches above it, and from the
back of which fell cape of the same
color, forming striking background to
his strong, intelligent face. He wore a
long, full gown of some fine sack cloth,
and he had two gorgeous gold medals
about his neck, each as big as the palm
Of your hand, and between these hnng
a cross of diamonds. He met us in the
middle of the salon, shook hands with
us and conducted us to divan at the |
right of his chair of state. We then !
chatted through the interpreter, the Le-
cation addressing him, according to
etiquette, as ''Your Blessedness. !"
There was then some talk about the |
Greek Church as to its extent and doe
tines, and while this was going on a |
iveried servant brought in a silver tray
containing golden bowl filled with sill
yer spoons, several glasses of water, and |
5wo cut glass dishes, one of which con-
-ained a brown mixture and the other |
was filed with preserved oranges cut in
small slices and floating in a molasses-
ike syrup. Luckily the tray was first
passed to the Consul, and | followed suit
n partaking of its delicacies Lifting one
If the silver spoons out of the gold
holder, I dipped it into the orange pre-