A few hundred worshippers gathered in and around the Church of the Nativity in the Palestinian city of Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christianity, where Christmas celebrations are overshadowed for the second consecutive year by the war in the Gaza Strip.
At the Vatican, Pope Francis is inaugurating the Catholic Church's "Holy Year" 2025, an international pilgrimage expected to draw over 30 million faithful from around the globe to Rome.
At 7 p.m., in the presence of approximately 30,000 people and a global television audience, the Argentine Jesuit will open the "Holy Door" of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, symbolizing the start of this "Ordinary Jubilee." He will then preside, as he does every year, over the Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter's Basilica.
During this occasion, the Pope is expected to reflect on global conflicts and renew his calls for a ceasefire in the Middle East. This address would follow three days after his criticism of the "cruelty" of strikes on Gaza, which drew protests from Israeli diplomats.
"Restrained" Joy
In the meantime, Bethlehem is showing "restrained" joy during Christmas festivities, explains Anton Salman, the mayor of this West Bank city, located just a few kilometers from Jerusalem on the other side of the separation wall built by Israel.
"We didn't put up a tree; we didn't decorate the streets (...) We want (...) to show the world that Palestine is still suffering from Israeli occupation and injustice," the mayor said.
A large Christmas tree usually stands in Manger Square. However, like last year, local authorities decided not to hold major celebrations.
The city came alive in the early afternoon with a scout parade, some participants carrying placards with messages such as "Stop the genocide in Gaza now" and "Our children want to play and laugh." Behind them was Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.
"I arrived from Gaza yesterday. I saw all the destruction, the poverty, the disaster. But I also saw life—they do not give up. So, neither should you. Never," he said.
"We belong to light, not darkness. Next year, we want to see the biggest Christmas tree ever," the Patriarch added in English.
"Injustice"
In Germany, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called for unity and solidarity in his Christmas message. He referred to the "shadow" cast over the holiday season by the car-ramming attack that killed five people and injured over 200 on Friday at the Magdeburg Christmas market in the country's northeast.
In Syria, where President Bashar al-Assad was ousted on December 8, the new Islamist-dominated authorities have sought to reassure Christians in this Sunni-majority country.
Nonetheless, several protests took place on Tuesday in Christian neighborhoods of Damascus to denounce the burning of a Christmas tree near Hama in central Syria, according to an AFP journalist.
"We are protesting because there is a lot (...) of injustice against Christians," said Georges, who withheld his last name. "If we are no longer allowed to practice our Christian faith in our country as we used to, then we no longer have a place here," he added.
With AFP
Comments