BETHLEHEM, Palestine: Christians gathered at the Church of the Nativity in the holy city of Bethlehem on Tuesday to mark a solemn Christmas overshadowed by war, as Pope Francis led mass in the Vatican.
In Bethlehem, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, festive decorations were missing for a second consecutive year.
Pope Francis
The crowd of several hundred paled in comparison to the throngs of tourists and pilgrims of Christmases past — a reflection of the sombre mood as the war between Israel and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip churns on.
At St Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis urged the people to think “of the wars, of the machine-gunned children, of the bombs on schools or hospitals,” days after he reiterated his condemnation of the “cruelty” of Israeli strikes, prompting objections from Israeli diplomats.
At Manger Square, the heart of the Palestinian city dominated by the revered church that marks the site where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born, a group of scouts held a parade that broke the morning’s silence.
Christmas tree
“Our children want to play and laugh,” read a sign carried by one of them, as his friends whistled and cheered.
Traditionally in Bethlehem, a grand Christmas tree would light up Manger Square, but local authorities opted against elaborate celebrations for a second year.
“This year we limited our joy,” Bethlehem mayor Anton Salman told AFP.
Prayers, including the church’s famed midnight mass, will still be held in the presence of the Catholic Church’s Latin patriarch, but the festivities will be of a more strictly religious nature.
The patriarch, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, told a crowd in Bethlehem he had just returned from Gaza, where he “saw everything destroyed, poverty, disaster”.
War-ravaged Gaza
“But I also saw life — they don’t give up. So you should not give up either. Never.”
In war-ravaged Gaza, which is separated from the West Bank by Israeli territory, hundreds of Christians gathered at a church to pray for an end to the war.
“This Christmas carries the stench of death and destruction,” said George al-Sayegh, who for weeks has sought refuge in the 12th-century Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza City.
“There is no joy, no festive spirit. We don’t even know who will survive until the next holiday.”
