Damascus-SANA
Today, the Christian communities in Syria celebrated the glorious Christmas, the birth of Christ, the messenger of love and peace, by holding masses and prayers in churches and places of worship.
In the Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East of the Syriac Orthodox in Damascus, the "Patriarchal Cathedral of St. George", a Divine Liturgy was held, presided over by His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Supreme Head of the Syriac Orthodox Church in the world.
The Armenian Orthodox Archbishop of Damascus, Armash Nalbandian, participated in the mass, and the Patriarchal Choir, Mar Avram the Syrian, served the mass.
Patriarch Ephrem II delivered the Eid sermon, in which he spoke about the meanings of the glorious Christmas, heading from Damascus, the land of the fathers and grandfathers, with best wishes and best wishes to the children of the Syriac Orthodox Church all over the world.
He said here in our dear East, especially in our beloved country, Syria, although the military operations have receded a lot thanks to the sacrifices of our righteous martyrs and our wounded from the valiant Syrian Arab Army and the auxiliary forces, but the war is still going on with its ugly economic face through illegal measures and the unjust siege imposed on us to break our will.
His Holiness the Patriarch offered heartfelt congratulations on the occasion of Christmas and the advent of the New Year to all dear Syrians, Muslims and Christians, and to President Bashar al-Assad, praying to God Almighty that it be a year of goodness and blessings for all, and peace and harmony throughout the world.
And in the Mariamian Greek Orthodox Cathedral in the Bab Touma neighborhood in Damascus, a mass was held, presided over by His Beatitude John X, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East of the Greek Orthodox. In his speech, he stressed the importance of adherence to faith and belonging to the homeland in word and deed, patience and efforts to overcome all the difficulties that our country is going through.
In the National Evangelical Church in Damascus, a great mass was held, presided over by Rev. Boutros Zaour, the spiritual head of the National Evangelical Church in Damascus, Vice President of the Evangelical Synod in Syria and Lebanon, in which Rev. Samuel Hanna, Vice President of the Supreme Synod of the Evangelical Community in Syria and Lebanon, participated in it.
Priest Zaour delivered the holiday sermon, in which he pointed out that Christmas is a festival of life, hope, peace and brotherhood in which hearts come together and open up to tolerance. Love and peace are our homeland under the wise leadership of President Bashar al-Assad,” praying to God to lift the war, terrorism and siege on Syria.
In Aleppo, prayers, masses, and religious hymns were held today in churches and places of worship. Eid sermons dealt with the sublime meanings of the birthday of Christ, the messenger of love and peace, who came to save humanity from pain and instill joy and happiness in people's hearts.
The speakers emphasized that the Christmas celebrations coincided with the sixth anniversary of Aleppo's victory over terrorism, an affirmation of the victory of truth, and they prayed to God Almighty in their prayers to lift the clouds over Syria, preserve its people and its leader, and that peace and stability prevail throughout it. terrorism.
Prayers were offered in the Chaldean Church, Archbishop Antoine Audo, head of the Chaldean sect, in the Latin Church, Father Raymond Sayoh, the Patriarchal Delegate for the Latin sect, and in the Evangelical Church in Syria, Rev. Ibrahim Naseer, head of the Arab Evangelical sect in Aleppo, and in the Umm al-Ma’ounat Cathedral, Bishop Boutros Marayati, head of the Armenian Catholic sect in Aleppo. And in the Church of Jesus, the Light of the World, Rev. Abdullah Homsi, pastor of the Church of the Evangelical Union, and in the church of Mar Elias, Bishop Avram Maalouli, head of the Greek Orthodox community in Aleppo, and in the church of St. Avram, Bishop Boutros Qassis, head of the Syriac Orthodox community, and in the church of the Maronite community, Bishop Youssef Tobji, head of the Maronite community, In the Roman Catholic Church in Aleppo, Archbishop George Masri, head of the Roman Catholic sect, and in the Church of Our Lady of Transition, Bishop Antoine Shahda, head of the Syriac Catholic sect in Aleppo.
And in the Syriac Catholic Holy Spirit Cathedral in the Al-Hamidiyeh neighborhood of Homs, the priest, Bishop Michel Noman, and Father Hamid Masouh, the parish priest, presided over the mass and prayers.
In a statement to SANA reporter, the priest, Bishop Michel Noman, called on the Lord to bring peace to prevail in Syria and to overcome the crisis it is experiencing, while Father Hamid Masouh of the Syriac Catholic Diocese in the Holy Spirit Cathedral indicated that in these glorious Christmas days we pray for the Lord to grant us security and safety for our dear country. Syria and to protect our people, our army and our leader, and have mercy on our martyrs who sacrificed themselves for peace to prevail.
Thaws Matta Al-Khoury, the Syriac Orthodox Metropolitan of Homs, Hama, Tartous, and its dependencies, in his sermon on the feast, referred to the sublime meanings of the birth of the Messenger of love and peace, praying to God Almighty to protect Syria, its people, its leader, and its valiant army.
In the Roman Catholic Archdiocese, Our Lady of Peace, Bishop John Abdo Arbash, Metropolitan of Homs, Hama, Yabroud and its dependencies, called on the Melkite Greek Catholics, the Lord, to bring peace and security to Syria and its people, while “Adon Noman,” pastor of the National Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Homs and the churches of Qalamoun, pointed out that despite the difficult circumstances and the siege imposed on Today, our country lives in an atmosphere of feast, joy and peace, hoping that the next feast will be full of joy and peace. In the Church of Arbaeen, Archbishop Gaugios Abu Zakhem, “the Metropolitan of Homs and its dependencies, told the Greek Orthodox that we pray on Christmas so that peace prevails in our country and that we overcome the difficult reality and live in peace and tranquility, calling for the year to be The coming year is good and blessed.
The Governor of Homs, Eng. Namir Makhlouf, the Secretary of the Homs branch of the party, Omar Houria, the police commander of the Homs governorate, Brigadier General Ahmed Al-Farhan, and a number of official, social and civil events toured the governorate, during which they offered congratulations and blessings to the heads of Christian denominations, parents and priests in a number of churches and cathedrals in Homs on the occasion of Christmas, the Messenger of Love and Peace. .
In As-Suwayda, official events visited today a number of churches and heads of Christian denominations in the city of As-Suwayda to congratulate on the occasion of the birthday of Jesus, the messenger of love and peace.
Participants in the visits, which included the Greek Orthodox Archbishoprics of Bosra, Hauran, and Jabal Al Arab, the Monastery and Church of Jesus the King of the Capuchin-Latin Fathers, and the National Evangelical Christian Union Church (Jesus the Good Shepherd), wishing that the coming period will bring all goodness, peace, joy, and the best for all Syrians who sacrificed, steadfastly endured, and were patient over a long period of time. More than 11 years in the face of the unjust war on our country and its consequences.
Bishop Saba Esber, Archbishop of Bosra, Horan and Jabal Al Arab, indicated to the Greek Orthodox that the feast always brings joy and joy, no matter how difficult the days and circumstances are, and establishes hope that it is a cloud that will pass.
For his part, the pastor of the Monastery and Church of Jesus the King of the Latin Capuchin Fathers, Father Fadi Ziadeh, pointed out that Syria has always proved its most beautiful image with the unity and cohesion of its people of all sects, no matter how difficult the circumstances are.
For his part, the pastor of the National Evangelical Christian Union Church, Rev. Gabriel Jack Batta, said: “Christmas comes every year, bringing to our land and our country a song of peace and salvation, hoping that goodness, security and stability will prevail throughout the country and the distress will end.”
The governor of As-Suwayda, Eng. Bassam Parsec, the secretary of the Arab Socialist Baath Party branch, Fawzat Shuqair, the police chief, the head of the provincial council, the attorney-general, a number of members of the executive office of the provincial council, the leadership of the Baath Party branch, and trade union and party activities participated in the visits.
Religious and popular activities also visited a number of churches and heads of Christian denominations in the city of As-Suwayda to offer congratulations on the Merry Christmas, stressing the brotherhood and cohesion of the Syrian society and that the image of Syria that unites all its children with intimacy, humanity and love will not disappear despite all the difficult circumstances and attempts to undermine it.
In Tartous, the governor Abdel Halim Awad Khalil, the secretary of the Arab Socialist Baath Party branch, Muhammad Hussein, and the director of the Tartous endowment Abdullah Al-Sayed, along with an official and religious delegation, congratulated the heads of the Christian denominations during a visit to the Dormition of Our Lady Church and the Maronite Archdiocese of Tartous.
Metropolitan Basilios Mansour, pastor of the Greek Orthodox Diocese of Akkar and its dependencies, stressed in his speech from the Church of the Dormition of Our Lady the peaceful coexistence that brings together the people of Syria of all sects, thanking the religious institution in Syria as a whole that works to establish the rules of love among people, and he also emphasized walking in the footsteps of the Lord Christ to spread goodness and gifts to all people.
In turn, the Director of the Awqaf stressed that this holiday reminds us of the great values brought by the Messenger of love and peace, the Lord Jesus Christ, peace be upon him, and the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad, may blessings and peace be upon him, which is the message of all the prophets, and the images it represents of religious integration and the relationship between Muslims and Christians by which nations are built, saluting To the souls of the righteous martyrs, thanks to whose sacrifices Syria lives today in safety, security and intimacy.
From the Archbishopric of Tartous, Archbishop Antoine Shbeir, the pastor of the Diocese of Latakia and its dependencies, said to the Maronites: How beautiful it is for brothers to gather under one roof, just as we in our beloved country used to gather together on our holidays and in our hearts of mutual love, adding: Christmas is the feast of love and tolerance on which we were brought up. In Syria, calling for prayers for peace to rest the souls of the righteous martyrs of Syria.
In Daraa, the governor, Eng. Louay Kharita, and the secretary of the Arab Socialist Baath Party branch, Hussein Al-Rifai, visited a number of churches in the cities and towns of the province, and congratulated the people on this occasion.
During their visit to the Greek Orthodox Church of Our Lady of the Annunciation in the Al-Zahra neighborhood in the city of Daraa, and the churches of the city of Izraa and the towns of Khabab and Basir, Eng. Kharita and Al-Rifai confirmed that the meanings of Christmas are great and carry love and goodness for all, hoping that with the advent of next year, safety and goodness will prevail throughout the country.
Eng. Khareetah and Al-Rifai were accompanied by members of the executive office of the governorate, members of the leadership of the party branch, and the director of the governorate's endowments, in addition to a number of directors of government departments.
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Evangelical Church
Marian Church
George's Church
The governor of Daraa visited a number of churches in the province