Christians on Tuesday gathered at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem to mark a solemn Christmas overshadowed by war, while Pope Francis led mass in the Vatican.
In Bethlehem, festive decorations were missing for a second consecutive year.
The crowd of several hundred paled in comparison to the throngs of tourists and pilgrims of Christmases past — a reflection of the somber mood as the war between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip churns on.
Photo: AFP
At St Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis urged 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 Bethlehem dominated by the 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.
“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.
Prayers, including the church’s midnight mass, were still held in the presence of the Catholic Church’s Latin patriarch, but the festivities were of a more strictly religious nature.
The patriarch, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, told a crowd in Bethlehem that he had just returned from Gaza, where he “saw everything destroyed, poverty, disaster.”
However, “I also saw life — they don’t give up,” he said. “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.”
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