Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa attends Orthodox Nativity Liturgy at Bethlehem
8/1/14
Nation.Ik
President Mahinda Rajapaksa visited the birth place of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem yesterday and attended the Liturgy of the Christmas Eve at the Church of the Nativity.
First Lady Shiranthi Wickremasinghe Rajapaksa and Palestinian President Dr. Mahmoud Abbas also attended the Liturgy along with the Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III.
The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem celebrates Christmas according to the Eastern Orthodox Christian churches, on January 7. Most Eastern Orthodox Christian denominations celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on this dayin contrast to the Western Christian tradition of celebrating on December 25.
More world leaders are recognizing the influence of Orthodoxy in the World.