For those in the Orthodox churches, the Copts, and others who celebrate under the Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian, let me wish Christmas greetings today. (Armenians in the Holy Land will celebrate January 18, but that's another story.)
On the other hand, the violence in Upper Egypt last night is a reminder that things are not always well for Eastern Christians, and this BBC story about Orthodox Palestinian Christians boycotting Christmas in Bethlehem because the Orthodox Church has leased land to Israelis, is another reminder.
This is a longstanding dispute within Palestinian Orthodoxy; Patriarch Theophilos, mentioned in the story, took over in 2005 when his predecessor, Irenaios, was deposed by the Synod. The leasing of land to Israel and Israeli groups is a the heart of it, but another element worth noting is that while the vast majority of the Orthodox clergy in Palestine and Israel (and elsewhere in the Mideast) are Arab, the Patriarch is always a Greek.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
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