Speech of His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III at the Armenian Patriarchate – Jerusalem Patriarchate

22 January 2026

”Your Beatitude, Patriarch Nourhan,
Your Eminences,
Your Graces,
Beloved Members of our Respective Brotherhoods,
Dear Fathers,

Christ is born!
Glorify him!

We are pleased to express our Christmas greetings to you as you and your communities celebrate the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh. In this joyful season when the whole creation rejoices at the birth of the Divine Logos, we recall the words of the hymnographer:

“Hearken, O heaven, and give ear, O earth…
For our God and Creator has clothed himself in created flesh, and he who with his strong arm fashioned the creation reveals himself in the womb of her whom he formed.”
(From The Royal Hours of Christmas Eve)

During this Christmas season we have been very happy to see such joy on the faces of the faithful as the Christmas celebrations in our respective communities have resumed so much of their traditional activities. After such a long period of violence and difficulty in our region, there is a deep desire to rebuild the lives of our communities, and this desire has seen real expression this Christmas. We have also been pleased to see more pilgrims among us, and this is also a great encouragement. Pilgrims come here for their spiritual refreshment, but their presence is also a tangible sign that we are not forgotten by the world. As we continue to face mounting challenges to the life and wellbeing of the Christian presence in the Holy Land and in the Middle East, the witness and presence of pilgrims is of paramount importance.

We have also been pleased to see the growing number of special delegations who wish to come to Jerusalem and the Holy Land to see and hear for themselves of the challenges that we face. The united voice and commitment of the Patriarchs and the Heads of the Churches is a valued and valuable force in shaping the attitudes and policies of governments and non-governmental organisations in their relationships with our region, and we must always welcome them and do our best to help them understand the reality of our life and the pressures that we face, especially from radical groups and others who seek to undermine the integrity of the Christian identity of our region and who attempt to erode our multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, and multi-religious heritage and society.

Our unity in guarding and preserving the patrimony of our ecclesiastical properties is also of supreme importance, and we wish to express to you once again our solidarity in your efforts to ensure the conservation of your property. What affects one Christian community affects all the communities, and our future depends on our solidarity one with the other. Such solidarity is more important than any lesser matters that may seem to divide us. This is an existential urgency. We give thanks to Almighty God that in this blessed season our two communities have worked together well to ensure the fraternal working of the Status Quo and the smooth celebration of our respective cycles of services in the Church of the Nativity. The rest of the world notices this, and takes great reassurance from it.

There is much for which to give thanks this year, and still there is much to do. We wish you, Your Beatitude, your Brotherhood, and the communities committed to your care, the blessings of this holy season, and we pray that the fragile ceasefire may be built into a strong and enduring peace for all who call the Holy Land our home.

Happy Christmas and a happy and peaceful New Year.
Christ is born!
Glorify him!”