Patriarch of Jerusalem presents historic covenant replica to Turkish president

By Hamdi Dindirek and Seda Sevencan

ISTANBUL (AA) - Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos Giannopoulos on Saturday presented Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with a framed replica of a covenant issued by Caliph Hazrat Umar to Christians following the Muslim conquest of Jerusalem in 638.

Erdogan received Giannopoulos and his delegation at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul.

The patriarch offered the gift, the replica of the covenant granted to Patriarch Sophronios, the city’s Christian leader under Byzantine rule, when Jerusalem surrendered to Umar.

The covenant assured security for the city’s Christian population and their holy sites, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem.