JERICHO, Tuesday, January 18, 2022 (WAFA) – Palestinian Orthodox Christians following the Julian calendar today celebrated the eve of the feast of Epiphany on the Jordan River.
Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III presided over the celebration of the Epiphany, which commemorates the baptism of Jesus Christ, in the attendance of diplomats and clerics, but with a forced absence of Palestinian officials.
Theophilos III was received by Jericho Governor Jehad Abu el-Assal and heads of security services at the Governor’s Office in Jericho, before he proceeded to the Byzantine-era Monastery of St. Gerasimos, also known as Deir Hajla, and then to the Jordan River,
During the reception at the Governor’s Office, Abu el-Assal expressed the Palestinian people’s struggle for liberation and its sacred and legitimate right to end the Israeli occupation, secure its independence and establish the independent state.
The Orthodox Primate reaffirmed the importance of the values of love and peaceful Christian-Muslim coexistence, and prayed that peace will prevail in Palestine and throughout the region.
K.F.
