Bethlehem celebrates first festive Christmas since Gaza war

BETHLEHEM, West Bank, December 26 ------ Hundreds of worshippers gathered for mass at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem as the Palestinian city ushered in its first festive Christmas in more than two years, emerging from the shadow of the war in Gaza.

Throughout the conflict that began with Hamas's attack on Israel in October 2023, a sombre tone had marked Christmases in the biblical birthplace of Jesus Christ. But celebrations returned full swing Wednesday with crowded parades and music in the occupied West Bank city, as a fragile truce held in Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people face winter in makeshift tents.

With pews of the Church of the Nativity filled long before midnight, many stood or sat on the floor for the traditional mass to usher in Christmas Day. At 11:15 pm (2115 GMT) organ music rang out as a procession of dozens of clergymen entered, followed by Jerusalem's Latin Patriarch, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who blessed the crowd with signs of the cross.

In his homily, Pizzaballa urged peace, hope and rebirth, saying the Nativity story still held relevance in the turbulence of modern times. "Christmas... invites us to look beyond the logic of domination, to rediscover the power of love, solidarity, and of justice," he told the congregation. He spoke of his visit to war-battered Gaza over the weekend, where he said "suffering is still present" despite the ceasefire. "The wounds are deep, yet I have to say, here too, there too, their proclamation of Christmas resounds," he said. "When I met them, I was struck by their strength and desire to start over."

At the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV delivered his first Christmas Mass at Saint Peter's Basilica, after he called for "24 hours of peace in the whole world". The American pontiff, elected in May after Pope Francis's death, said Christmas was a feast of "faith, charity and hope" and criticized a "distorted economy" that treats humans "as mere merchandise". Leo stuck to a very religious homily without any direct reference to current affairs. Across the world, families gathered for Christmas Eve as millions of children everywhere awaited eagerly for their gifts to be delivered.

Source: manilatimes.net