Jerusalem, Middle East - The head of the Orthodox Church has sought to calm a row between the patriarch of Jerusalem, Irineos I, and senior clerics demanding his removal.
Patriarch Bartholomew I asked Irineos I not to call a planned synod meeting in a bid to replace the rebel bishops.
The bishops have broken off contact with Irineos I over the controversial sale of church land in East Jerusalem, which has angered Palestinians.
Patriarch Irineos, leader of 100,000 Christians, has denied any wrongdoing.
Repeated denials
The land at the heart of the dispute was allegedly sold to a group linked to Jewish settlers, sparking outrage among Palestinians, who make up the largest section of the Orthodox Church in the Holy Land.
Thirteen bishops accuse Patriarch Irineos of being caught up in a web of lying, distortion and of mishandling church property.
They say they regard him as dismissed, refusing to have contact with him.
But Irineos I has said he will fight the dismissal.
Irineos I has repeatedly denied any involvement in the multi-million dollar property deal, but despite his protestations he has been facing increasing pressure from both clerics and congregants to step down.
"We are watching with great unease the current situation of the Jerusalem patriarchate because of the rejection of your beatitude by the majority of the brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre," Bartholomew I, the Istanbul-based spiritual leader of 250 million Orthodox worshippers in the world, said in a letter.
Patriarch Irineos was reportedly planning to move against the 13 bishops by calling a synod meeting that would only include his supporters, who make up a minority of the council.
"Being informed that you intend to convene a minority of the Holy Synod in order to sanction and elect new senior clerics, we request in a brotherly fashion ... (that you) avoid at any cost such hasty actions which could provoke major harm to the body of the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre and the church in general," Bartholomew I said.
Occupied territory
The sale, though legal, has provoked the church's mainly Palestinian followers.
It is also seen as upsetting the delicate balance of ownership between Christians, Jews and Muslims in the old city.
The patriarch has said he never agreed to the sale but there is speculation that one of his deputies may have signed the deal on his behalf.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem in 1967 and annexed it in 1981, but its claim to the area is not recognised internationally.
Under international law East Jerusalem is considered to be occupied territory.
The majority of its residents are Palestinian, and Palestinians hope to make it their future capital.