Yeltsin Attends Orthodox Christmas Mass

A visibly moved Boris N. Yeltsin celebrated a Christmas Mass with Orthodox priests and East European leaders Friday, concluding his Holy Land pilgrimage at the site revered as Jesus’ birthplace.

The smell of incense and candles filled the air as priests sang and paraded in the 4th century Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, built over the spot where tradition says Jesus was born.

Orthodox churches worldwide celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7, and the occasion brought to the Holy Land an unprecedented number of their officials, along with heads of state from Orthodox nations.

Yeltsin, who stepped down as Russia’s president Dec. 31, sat flanked by his wife, Naina, and Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat’s wife, Suha. Arafat and Georgian President Eduard A. Shevardnadze were a short distance away.

Yeltsin listened to the singing intensely, at one point asking a priest to move aside slightly so that he could better follow the Mass. Yeltsin then placed his palm over his heart and bowed his head.

The former Russian leader is not known to be a devout believer, but he oversaw a religious revival in post-Soviet Russia during his years as president and has attended church services marking religious holidays.

Yeltsin’s second visit to Bethlehem in as many days was a solemn conclusion to his pilgrimage, which ended with his departure for Moscow on Friday afternoon.

Greek Patriarch Diodoros I, who uses a wheelchair, ceremonially presided at the Mass as the top Orthodox cleric in the Holy Land, but a church subordinate conducted the service in his place.

With much attention paid to Yeltsin and the foreign leaders, at least one dignitary said he and his city had been overlooked. Bethlehem Mayor Hanna Nasser said he was offended when he was seated at the back of the church.

“This is a big insult toward the city of Bethlehem and the citizens of Bethlehem,” Nasser said.

Earlier Friday, Yeltsin met briefly with Israel’s acting premier, Yitzhak Mordechai, who is filling in for Prime Minister Ehud Barak. Barak is in the United States, where he is a participant in peace talks with Syria.

Yeltsin was accompanied on his trip to the Holy Land by family members and a delegation of about 180 people. The trip’s high point likely was his meeting with Arafat: During the visit, Yeltsin broke into tears that he said were prompted by joy and wished a bright future to a “dear Palestinian state.”