On Sunday, December 22, Prime Minister Jafar Hassan, accompanied by several ministers, conveyed well wishes to church leaders marking Christmas celebrations and the advent of the New Year 2025.
He said: “This is a day in which feelings of love and brotherhood prevail, as they have distinguished Jordanian society with its wise Hashemite leadership.” He added,” We are all partners in Jordan’s blessed march, with its diversity, its strong social fabric, as well as the values of moderation and balance that unite us. This is a source of pride for all of us.”
In this context, the prime minister said, “Jordan–where churches and mosques are nearby and it includes the shrines of martyrs and companions–is the land of the baptism of Jesus Christ, and it is the path followed by prophets who carried the messages of goodness, love, and peace that has extended up to this time.” He stressed that “there is no place in the Jordan of goodness and light for hatred, extremism, exclusion, and sedition, God willing.”
He pointed out that we mark the end of a year in which we witnessed suffering, injustice, and brutality against our brethren in Palestine and Gaza, noting that injustice and oppression must be eliminated.” He also extended his greetings and appreciation to the Christians in Palestine, saying that Jordan’s principles, under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II, are firm and his efforts are continuous to support them, to back their steadfastness, to remove the injustice inflicted on them, and to confront attempts to inflict harm on Jerusalem, as well as its Islamic and Christian sanctities.
For his part, Fr. Nabil Haddad said, in an address delivered on behalf of the Council of Heads of Churches, that Christmas is an occasion in which we express our faith in God, our land, our leadership and its wisdom, and our march in the blessed land of Jordan, as one extended family, proud of the positions of our Hashemite leadership as well as the message of harmony and love it conveys.
He stressed that Christian and Muslim Jordanians embody the meanings of affection, cordiality, solidarity, common living, solidarity, and harmony, while offering prayers to the Almighty God to instill goodness upon Jordan, bless it, and protect its soil, as well as overwhelm His generous kindness upon it, and bless our cities, valleys and villages with His overwhelming peace.
By Munir Bayouk | en.abouna.org
