Merry Christmas!!!

The Media Line staff would like to wish our Christian readers a very merry Christmas, which commemorates the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Accordingly, thousands of worshipers are expected to descend on the city for midnight mass at the Church of the Nativity, which was originally commissioned in 327 by Constantine the Great. The former Roman leader favored Christianity over then-dominant paganism, promoting its growth throughout the empire. Today, there are nearly 2.5 billion Christians of various denominations worldwide, however, many of those residing in the Middle East will either be unable to celebrate Christmas or will do so privately due to their ongoing persecution in some Muslim-majority countries. Earlier this month, the head of the Church of England—Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby—warned that Christians in the region are on the verge of “imminent extinction.” This should concern members of all faiths and hopefully act as a unifying force this Christmas. Happy holiday!