His Excellency Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the State of Palestine received this evening at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah, His Beatitude Ignatius Ephrem Joseph III Younan, the Syriac Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and His Eminence Bishop Mar Yacoub Ephrem Semaan, the Patriarchal Vicar of the Syriac Catholic of Jerusalem, Holy Land and Jordan.
The President welcomed the Patriarch to the Holy Land, stressing that Palestine is the cradle of Christ, the land of peace, with its Mosques and Churches, which constitutes the identity of our Palestinian people and a distinctive model of peaceful coexistence and brotherhood.
“We defend Al-Aqsa Mosque as we defend the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and we consider it our duty to preserve the Christian presence on this land, by supporting their steadfastness, as they are an integral part of our society.
In turn, the Patriarch of the Syriac Catholic Church said, “We are honored to meet His Excellency the President of the State of Palestine, who received me and all the bishops and priests with love and affection. ThePresident emphasizes to meet the needs of all the denominations in the Holy Land and we stress that Palestine does not discriminate or differentiate between its faithful citizens from all religions.
We pray to God Almighty to grant us the blessing of peace and justice in this holy land, and to inspire us with a good will to help establish a free and independent Palestine based on human and civil values for all, so that the Palestinian people can live in freedom and dignity.”
The Syriac-Catholic Patriarch of Antioch praised Palestine TV’s efforts and its keenness to cover the Mass on Sunday, and to broadcast the prayers from the land of peace for the world to see.
