Senior Jerusalem hierarch reposes in the Lord

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<table id="art56560" style="margin:20px;" border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td style="font-family:Arial;font-size:13px;padding:30px 30px 20px 30px;border:1px solid #cccccc;background:#ffffff;"><a href="http://www.pravoslavie.ru/english/56560.htm" style="color:black;text-decoration:none;border:none;" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.pravoslavie.ru/sas/image/100785/78525.t.jpg" border=0 align="left" style="margin:0px 10px 10px 0px;border:1px solid black;float:left;"><em style="display:block;color:#792e00;padding-bottom:2px;"></em><strong style="display:block;font-size:17px;text-transform:uppercase;text-decoration:underline;">Senior Jerusalem hierarch reposes in the Lord</strong><em style="display:block;padding:2px 0px 0px 0px;line-height:103%;font-size:15px;text-transform:none;"></em><span style="display:block;padding:5px 0px 10px 0px;">On October 2 2012, the most senior hierarch of the Church of Jerusalem, Metropolitan Basil of Caesarea reposed at the age of 90.</a></span></td></tr></table>

October 4, 2012

On October 2 2012, the most senior hierarch of the Church of Jerusalem, Metropolitan Basil of Caesarea reposed at the age of 90. The next day, on October 3, at the Church of St. Martyr Thecla funeral service was served by the Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem concelebrated by the bishops and clergy of the Jerusalem Patriarchate, reports the press service of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem.

Many people gathered to bid farewell to Metropolitan Basil. Attending were the secretary of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission Hieromonk Anthony (Gutnick), the Abbess of the Gorny Monastery Georgia with the sisters, representatives of the Armenian Apostolic Church, representatives of the Coptic Church, the Jerusalem Patriarch parishioners.
Metropolitan Basil was buried in The Great Lavra of St. Sabbas the Sanctified.

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Metropolitan Basil of Caesarea (born Khristos Blatsos) was born in 1923 in the city of Argos, Greece.

In 1939 he arrived to Jerusalem, where he studied at the Greek gymnasium and at the English school called "Bishop Cobat School".

In 1946 he was tonsured a monk and ordained a hierodeacon. He studied theology at the University of Athens. He taught at the gymnasium.

In 1954 he was ordained to the priesthood as presbyter, and was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite. He was also appointed editor of the "New Zion" magazine.

He was the Secretary of the Holy Synod of the Church of Jerusalem. In 1957 he was appointed General Secretary of the Holy Synod and remained in this position until 1981.
In 1962 he was elected and consecrated as Archbishop of Jordan. In 1975, he was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan of Caesarea. In 1981 he was appointed Patriarchal Epitrop.

As a representative of the Jerusalem Patriarchate he participated in various meetings. With the mission he visited all the Orthodox Patriarchates as well as the Ethiopian Church.
In 2005, he was again appointed Patriarchal Epitrop.

(Translated by Ksenia Dolgova)

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