Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas
January 7, 2015
Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi was welcomed by Coptic Pope Tawadros II at Saint Mark's Cathedral in Cairo. El-Sissi's appearance was a first visit to Christmas celebrations by an Egyptian president, local media reported.
"It was essential for me to come here to wish you the season's greetings", said el-Sissi in a brief address.
Christians who follow the old Julian calendar, including the Coptic Church in Egypt, the Russian Orthodox Church, and the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, among others, celebrated Christmas on Wednesday, 13 days after Catholic and Protestant believers.
Christians make up around one-tenth of Egypt's population, with a majority of them belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church. Christians have long complained of discrimination in Egypt. However, church representatives have been supportive of el-Sissi since he took power from Mohammed Morsi in a military coup.
Alleged Islamist militants have on several occasions attacked police standing guard at churches, as well as those at government buildings, since Morsi left power. On Tuesday, two policemen were shot and killed as they were guarding a church in southern Egypt, according to state television.
Also, dozens of Egyptian churches were torched by angry Morsi supporters in summer 2013, after police cracked down on their protest camps in Cairo.
'Ideals of love and mercy'
On Wednesday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attended a mass at the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank, the spot which Christians revere as the place where Jesus was born.
In Russia, both Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and President Vladimir Putin attended Christmas Mass early Wednesday. The Russian church has seen a significant revival since the end of communism; however, a lot of holiday traditions are still connected to New Year's Eve, including the exchanging of gifts.
"Millions of people hold this bright and joyful holiday dear. It turns us to the origins of our spiritual traditions, ideals of love and mercy, which, down through the centuries, have served the unity of the people and helped them withstand the moments of hardship and difficulties", said Putin in a statement released by the Kremlin press service.
dj/gb (dpa, epd, AP, ifax)