Pope Francis presided over mass in the Vatican on Tuesday as Christians assembled at the Church of the Nativity in the holy city of Bethlehem to commemorate a somber Christmas marred by conflict.
For the second year in a row, there were no Christmas decorations in Bethlehem, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The hundreds-strong audience was little compared to the masses of pilgrims and tourists from previous Christmases, reflecting the somber atmosphere as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Gaza Strip continues.
Days after reiterating his condemnation of the “cruelty” of Israeli strikes, Pope Francis said at St. Peter’s Basilica that the faithful should reflect “of the wars, of the machine-gunned children, of the bombs on schools or hospitals,” which prompted Israeli diplomats to react.
A group of scouts disrupted the quiet of the morning with a parade at Manger Square, the center of the Palestinian city centered by the revered church that commemorates the location where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born.
“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”.
“But I also saw life — they don’t give up. So you should not give up either. Never.”
Despite the gloomy mood, some Christians in the Holy Land — who number about 185,000 in Israel and 47,000 in the Palestinian territories — were finding refuge in prayer.
“Christmas is a feast of faith… We’re going to pray and ask God to end our suffering,” Salman said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Christians worldwide for their support in Israel’s battle against the “forces of evil” in a message.
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