The Church of the Nativity, which witnessed the birth of Christ two thousand years and two decades ago, opened its doors for the first time since the declaration of the state of emergency on the fifth of last March, and a number of Christian clergy supervised the opening of the small door to the church After the Palestinian government announced the reopening of places of worship.
The head of the Greek Orthodox Church in Bethlehem, Bishop Theophilkos, said: The opening of the church brought the blessing of Patriarch Theophilus III, the patriarch of the Holy City and all the works of Palestine and Jordan. He said, “After completing all the procedures in the face of the Corona pandemic and with the blessing of the Beatitude, we were able to open the door of the Great Church of the Nativity with its people, its children and its people. Praise be to God, this church is clean and free from the virus, and it is open from now on, in front of all the people of Bethlehem, Palestine, and the whole world, where everyone can visit this holy place, honorable blessing, blessing it, and praying at all times. We extend our sincere thanks to His Excellency President Mahmoud Abbas and the Prime Minister and leaders The security services are keen to protect Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity. "
The heads of the three churches responsible for the Church of the Nativity (the Holy Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Theophilos III, the Guardian of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Patton, and the Patriarch of Jerusalem for the Armenians, Nurhan Manogian), were responsible for reopening the doors of the church starting from Tuesday morning, to allow the faithful to reach this place again. Holy to pray and visit.
The statement issued by the heads of the three churches stated, "For the sake of safety and in order to avoid the risk of the spread of the Coronavirus again, the number of believers and visitors will be limited to 50 persons, and access to the church will be made available to those who do not have a fever or symptoms of disease and wear a face mask."
The statement added that it is necessary to keep a distance of not less than two meters between each person and another, and avoid the worship implied by physical contact, such as touching and kissing stones, icons, clothes, and workers in the church, as well as a permanent adherence to the instructions given.
