Catholic churches in Egypt and the world celebrated Christmas amid prayers by the Patriarchs for peace and a breakthrough in the global crisis. In Egypt, the interfaith dialogue took over the lion's share of the Catholic celebrations. Celebrations of the Coptic Catholics in Nasr City were attended by Hani el-Nadi on behalf of the President, governor of Cairo Abdel Azim Wazir and a number of parliamentarians. Patriarch Antonios Naguib said: "We raise our hearts and prayers to God to bless our President Hosni Mubarak. We pray to Almighty God to grant him strength and long life and bless all his endeavors for peace and prosperity in our beloved homeland Egypt. Christmas' main message is unlimited love for all." He praised the achievements of the interfaith dialogue in the past year.
On the world level, Pope Benedict XVI called for prayer so that peace would prevail in Bethlehem and violence and hatred would come to an end in Palestine where Jesus lived. For his part, US President-elect Barack Obama urged the Americans to unite to face the global crisis, adding: "While we are exchanging religious and social greetings, we know that there are millions of Americans without work. Many Americans struggle to pay bills or stay in their homes."
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad congratulated the Christians, saying: "On the anniversary of the birth of Christ, I congratulate the followers of Jesus Christ.
