With the ratification of the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, and the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Greek State is providing tangible support for the safeguarding, protection, scientific study, and promotion of the Patriarchate’s religious, historical, and cultural heritage of exceptional significance.
The Memorandum, signed in Athens on 8 June 2026, establishes a long-term framework for cooperation over a ten-year period. Its focus is on the Holy Shrines, churches and monastic complexes, works of art and artefacts, as well as the valuable holdings of the Historical Archive and the Patriarchal Library.
The Memorandum provides for stable annual funding of 1 million euros for the implementation of the agreed actions, to be contributed in equal parts by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture.
In this way, the Greek State is giving concrete, structured, and long-term institutional form to a historic and enduring relationship, while providing the Patriarchate of Jerusalem with stable institutional, scientific, technical, and financial support.
At the same time, support for the Patriarchate constitutes a tangible contribution to the protection of a religious and cultural tradition of global significance, as well as to strengthening a historic institution that has long served the values of dialogue, coexistence, and peace.
September 10, 2026