Jordanian Foreign Minister Visits Bethlehem

In the wake of the recent violence against Christians in Iraq and Egypt the King of Jordan, Abdullah II, sent his foreign minister, Nasser Judeh, to Bethlehem to participate in the old style Nativity celebrations there and to express his solidarity with and support for the Orthodox Christians and Roman Catholics living in the occupied territories in Palestine. More here.

Beit Jala Parish Protests Visit of Theophilus III to Bethlehem

During the visit of Patriarch Theophilus III (Giannopoulos) of Jerusalem to the Bethlehem area this past Sunday for St. Nicholas' day the parishioners of the Palestinian Orthodox parish in Beit Jala, a suburb of the holy city, refused to meet with the patriarch and instead protested his visit because of revelations that the Patriarchate has continued to sell lands owned by the Palestinian Orthodox Church in the occupied West Bank to Israeli citizens for development as Jewish settlements.

The predecessor of Theophilus III, Patriarch Irenaeus I (Skopelitis), was removed from the Patriarchate for selling land to Israelis, so the failure of the new patriarch to stand up for the interests of his flock and to serve instead the interests of the predominantly Greek Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulcher (which administers the Patriarchate and the holy sites of Palestine) has come as a great disappointment to the Palestinian Orthodox faithful. In addition to his mishandling of church property in the Holy Lands Patriarch Theophilus also recently abandoned the Jerusalemite Orthodox faithful in North America under pressure from the Phanar, transferring them to the jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.

More on the Beit Jala protests can be found here.

Muted Holiday in Gaza

Nativity celebrations will be muted this year in the Gaza Strip due to Israel's tightening restrictions on visits to Bethlehem by Orthodox Christians and Roman Catholics living in Gaza and the ruling Hamas party's restrictions on the territory's Christians. More here.

Pictured is an Orthodox church in Gaza.

Repair of Holy Nativity Church in Bethlehem

It seems that the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem of the Armenian Orthodox Church, and the Franciscans have finally agreed to a plan of action for the restoration of the Church of the Holy Nativity in Bethlehem! Of course, the Palestinian National Authority had to force them to do it, but who's surprised :-)? More here.