Archbishop Theodosios (Atallah Hanna), Archbishop of Sebastia of the Greek Orthodox, said that in this blessed Christmas season we affirm that our festivals will remain limited to the spiritual, church, humanitarian and national rituels, in confirmation of our rejection of what is happening in our Holy Land of oppression, suppression and persecution of our Palestinian people.
He added that the lighting of the Christmas tree celebration, which we are witnessing recently in a number of Palestinian cities and towns, is a message from the Holy Land of Palestine that we are clinging to our belonging and our existence in this homeland, which is our homeland and no force in this world will be able to uproot us, marginalize us and erase our rights.
“Christmas tree lighting has been shortened to sermons, religious songs, spiritual ritual, human and national message that we are launching from our holy land. This happened yesterday in Birzeit, as happened before in Jerusalem and in other places where the Christmas tree was lit.”
