The Higher Presidential Committee of Churches Affairs, represented by its President, Minister Dr. Ramzi Khoury, participated in the Orthodox Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem.
The celebrations began with the official reception of the heads of the Assyrian Orthodox, Coptic and Greek Orthodox Churches, where afterwards the committee participated in the annual Christmas dinner hosted by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, in the presence of His Excellency President Mahmoud Abbas, and Prime Minister Dr. Mohammad Shtayyeh, along with the representative of His Majesty King Abdullah II, Minister Sami Dawood and a number of religious and public figures.
In his speech the President stated: “Today we celebrate Christmas, the birthday of our Lord Jesus, peace be upon him, the Messenger of Love that God sent to spread peace and love throughout the world. We celebrate this holiday, which we consider a religious and a national holiday for all of us Palestinians”.
At the dinner, the Higher Presidential Committee of Churches Affairs with its President Dr. Ramzi Khoury were awarded with an appreciation plaques by Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, for the role of the committee in its hard and diligent work in preserving the Christian presence in Palestine, and the efforts it exerted in standing beside the churches with continuous support.
In his speech, the Patriarch noted, “The Christmas celebrations this year were very successful in the State of Palestine, where it witnessed a massive participation along with officials and delegations from different countries”.
Moreover, the representative of His Majesty King Abdullah II, Minister Sami Dawood, conveyed the greetings of the Jordanian monarch to the Palestinian people celebrating the glorious Christmas and affirmed Jordan’s continuous support to their Palestinian brothers in achieving their legitimate goals of freedom, independence and establishment of the Palestinian state.
Dr.Ramzi Khoury was accompanied by members of the Higher Presidential Committee of churches affairs, His Excellency Minister Ziyad Al Bandak, Chairman of the Presidential Committee for the Restoration of the Church of the Nativity. Ambassador Issa Kassissieh, Ambassador of the State of Palestine to the Vatican City. Ambassador Ammar Hijazi, Assistant to Minister of Foreign Affairs for Multilateral Affairs. Ambassador Omar Awadallah. Mr. Jihad Khair, Mayor of Beit Sahour. Mr. Nicola Khamis, Mayor of Beit Jala and Ambassador Amira Hanania, General Manager of the Committee.