On the morning of Monday, 6th January 2025, the Chief Celebrant of the Christmas Feast, Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem, received at the Patriarchate the Body of the Orthodox Scouts and representatives of the Israeli Police, in the presence of the representative of the General Consulate of Greece, Mrs Anna Mantika.
After this meeting, the Patriarch, accompanied by the Holy Sepulchre Fathers, departed through Jaffa Gate. There, Patriarch Theophilos and the Holy Sepulchre Fathers boarded vehicles that transported them to the Holy Monastery of the Prophet Elias, between Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
There, Patriarch Theophilos was welcomed by the representatives of the Communities of Bethlehem, the Shepherds’ Village, Beit Jala, the Israeli Ministry of the Interior, and the Hegumen of the Monastery, Reverend Monk Achillios.
From the Monastery of the Prophet Elias, Patriarch Theophilos, preceded by riders of the Israeli Military Command, proceeded to the Syrian-controlled area of the Tomb of Rachel.
There, he was received by representatives of the Palestinian State, who led him through their vehicles until they reached Manger Square in Bethlehem. At this point, the Patriarchal Commissioner of Bethlehem, Metropolitan Benedict of Diocaesarea, addressed him. The procession began through the Courtyard of the Church of the Nativity, with the Archbishops leading and the Priests dressed in liturgical vestments, chanting the hymn of the Holy Church, led by the Byzantine Cantors of the Church, deacon Eustathios and Hierodeacon Simeon, singing the Dismissal Hymn: “Thy Nativity, O Christ our God.”
The procession reached the humble gate of the magnificent Basilica, and here, the entrance was made, where the General Consul of Greece in Jerusalem, Mr Dimitrios Angelosopoulos, awaited His Beatitude, following the protocol. The Patriarchal procession proceeded through the Basilica, a privilege reserved solely for the Orthodox, until the area in front of the iconostasis (Katholikon).
At this point, there was the descent through the Southern Gate, and the veneration at the Star and the Manger of Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem, accompanied by the Archbishops and the General Consul of Greece in Jerusalem, Mr Dimitrios Angelosopoulos.
Subsequently, the procession ascended through the Northern Gate of the Cave, and from the Katholikon area, the reading of the Great Hours of Christmas, Vespers, and the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great began, with Patriarch Theophilos presiding. Deacon Eustathios and Hierodeacon Simeon chanted in Greek on the right, and the choir of Bethlehem sang in Arabic on the left, in the presence of the General Consul and the faithful of Bethlehem and its surroundings. The service concluded at 3:30 p.m.
After Vespers, Patriarch Theophilos, having passed through the Basilica, reached the Baptismal Gate, where the Patriarchal Commissioner, who had renovated the Holy Site of the Basilica, offered a fasting meal at the Rectory.
Source: Patriarchate of Jerusalem
