Bethlehem Celebrates Midnight Mass in Nativity Church
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- Published on Wednesday, 25 December 2013 10:10
PNN
In the presence of the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal, held the midnight mass in the Nativity Church in Bethlehem.
Patriarch Twal welcomed Abbas and a delegation of high-ranking guests and thanked them for their participation.
In his mass Twal called for a solution to the problems in the region and said, "We are living in a very difficult situation in the Holy Land. A situation for which we do not have an immediate solution. A difficult situation which affects all the inhabitants of the Holy Land."
He also said that "in this difficult situation we have to stay steadfastness on our land and not to abandon it, because our existence is a call from God and a privilege for all of us," adding that the star of faith will light up the road ahead of us and others and will lead us to the right path.
The Manger Square, outside the church, was crowded with hundreds of Palestinians and tourists who came to participate in the mass; it was a festive atmosphere.
The midnight mass was attended by Prime Minister Rami al-Hamdullah, The Secretary-General of the Presidency al-Tayeb Abdel-Rahim, the mayor of Bethlehem Vera Baboun, Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, a representative for the Jordanian King Abdullah II, the Jordanian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Nidal Qatamin, EU's Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton , Foreign Minister of Romania Titus Kurltian, and Mayor of Naples Luigi de Magistris , in addition to a number of ministers, consuls and ambassadors of Arab and foreign countries.
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