Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa attends Orthodox Nativity Liturgy in Bethlehem

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 His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem.

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 day in contrast to the Western Christian tradition of celebrating on December 25.

Source: OCP Cognate Page