the processions of the Patriarchs of the Eastern Christian sects that celebrate the Glorious Christmas began to Bethlehem, where at eight o´clock this morning, Wednesday, the Syriac Orthodox procession headed by Archbishop Mar Gabriel Daho, the Patriarchal Vicar of the Antiochene Syriac Orthodox Church In Jerusalem, Jordan and the rest of the Holy Land, and at ten o´clock the procession of the Archbishop will arrive from Jerusalem, Anba Dr. At noon, the Archbishop of Ethiopia, "the Ethiopians" will arrive.Bishop Dr. Aba Embakop, Bishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Jerusalem and the Holy Land, and similar receptions will be held for the same processions, taking preventive precautions to avoid infection with the Coronavirus, as the celebrations will take place on a small scale, and a number of scouting teams will play performances on this occasion, amid a reduction in their number .
The mayor of Bethlehem, Attorney Antoun Salman, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Rola Maayah, the Governor of Bethlehem Kamel Hamid, Eng. Ziad Al-Bandak, Adviser to President Mahmoud Abbas for Christian Affairs, Brigadier Nazir Omar, Bethlehem District Commander, Colonel Tariq Hajj, Director of the Governorate Police and heads of the security services, participated in the reception process. Several scout teams.
The Roman Patriarchate issued a statement on this occasion, calling on the Palestinian people in general and the Orthodox Church in particular to understand this exceptional and sensitive situation in order to preserve public health and avoid the transmission of the Coronavirus.
The Patriarchate called on all of its children to abide by their homes, and to follow the conditions of public safety and government decisions so that these blessed holidays pass in goodness, peace and health, thanking President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian leadership, who will participate in the Midnight Mass remotely. This is the first time that the president has apologized for attending the holidays in person since he took office 15 years ago.
