AMMAN — Deputising for His Majesty King Abdullah, Minister of Interior Mazen Faraya attended the Midnight Mass at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem on the occasion of Christmas for Christian denominations that follow the Western calendar.

 

The Mass was also attended by Palestinian Vice President Hussein Al Sheikh, representing President Mahmoud Abbas, along with a number of Palestinian political figures, Christian and Muslim clergy, and diplomats from around the world, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

 

The Patriarch of Jerusalem and Jordan and all the Holy Land, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, delivered the Christmas homily at the Church of St. Catherine (part of the Church of tha Nativity complex), calling for peace, love, and tolerance to prevail among humanity in order to live in security, peace, and prosperity.

 

He urged followers of the three monotheistic religions to embrace faith, love, peace, and tolerance instead of hatred, resentment, and violence.

 

Patriarch Pizzaballa thanked His Majesty the King for his positions and efforts in supporting the people of the Gaza Strip, as well as his continued support for Christian and Islamic holy sites in occupied Jerusalem.

 

He called on the international community and the peoples of the region to work towards ending wars, conflicts, and disputes, and to shoulder their responsibilities in achieving peace and ending the suffering of the people of Gaza, especially children who have endured hunger, fear, sorrow, and hardship over many years.