Patriarch Theophilos III arrives in Bethlehem

18:31, 06.01.2024

Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem and all Palestine arrived in Bethlehem. He will conduct the festive Christmas mass at Church of the Nativity. Security measures are reinfored in Bathlehem.

According to Reuters, the streets around Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, normally bustling with worshipers and tourists at this time of year are empty on the eve of the Eastern Orthodox Christmas, drone footage on Saturday showed.

As with the December 25 Christmas, the war in Gaza has all but canceled the Orthodox celebrations at the site Christians believe to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ.

There is no Christmas tree either nor any festive decorations.

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Theophilos III