FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Christians around the world tried to put aside the worries and fears of a troubled, war-torn world on Christmas Eve as they prepared to celebrate the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.
Before leading Sunday Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan reminded the faithful to include war-torn parts of the Middle East in their Christmas prayers.
“As we await Christmas, our hearts are always with the Holy Land,” he said, referring to parts of Israel and the Palestinian territories. “The holy land is under a cloud, the holy land is suffering, the holy land is full of violence, hatred and retribution. And that clouds the joy of Christmas and threatens to suffocate it.”
Believers in Syria gathered in a country still reeling from the effects of a long civil war and a crushing economic blockade. Despite festive lights and Christmas decorations adorning homes and storefronts in the capital Damascus, events in Gaza and ongoing fighting in parts of the country have left the holiday spirit muted.
In Yabroud, a town north of Damascus, believers gathered at the St. Constantine and Helena Cathedral to enjoy Christmas carols sung by the Damascus Joy Choir. “Everyone should try to spread joy with what the Lord has given them to help end this suffering,” said Fadi Homsi, a member of the choir.
Wealthy, largely secular Europe celebrated the holiday in historic cathedrals and brightly lit holiday markets, with an undercurrent of tension spread by the war in Gaza and an even closer war in neighboring Ukraine. Wages that have not yet kept pace with inflation dampened sentiment during the pre-holiday shopping and dining seasons.
Sightseeing-only tours were banned at Germany's landmark Cologne Cathedral and worshipers had to undergo security checks on Christmas Eve to get to midnight mass there on Sunday as police responded to tips of a possible attack. Still, officials urged people not to shy away from holiday celebrations out of fear.
Auxiliary Bishop Rolf Steinhäuser greeted worshipers with a relaxed smile and thanked the police for their security efforts, a day after police raided the cathedral and searched it with sniffer dogs. With several dozen officers on duty outside, it was “probably the safest church service in all of Germany,” he said.
In Austria, police said they were also tightening security around Vienna's churches and Christmas markets, apparently responding to the same information about a potential threat. They did not provide any further information, but the dpa news agency reported, without citing a source, that the threat came from an Islamist extremist group.
The massive Cologne Cathedral, whose twin towers stand 157 meters (515 feet) high, is a major tourist destination and is visited by around 6 million people each year. Here is the Shrine of the Magi, a gold and silver decorated coffin said to contain the relics of the Magi, described in the New Testament as paying homage to the newborn Jesus.
European Union Interior Commissioner Ylva Johansson warned on December 5 that Europe faces a “major risk of terrorist attacks” over the Christmas holidays due to the fallout from the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Johansson did not provide any police or security information that might have led to her warning.
Ukraine is preparing to officially celebrate Christmas as a national holiday for the first time on December 25 after moving the date back in line with Western European countries. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law in July that moves the holiday from Jan. 7 to Dec. 25, when it will be celebrated by the Russian Orthodox Church and also by one of Ukraine's two rival Orthodox churches. Some Eastern Orthodox churches continue to use the old Julian calendar, according to which Christmas falls 13 days later.
A note attached to the law says its goal is to “abandon Russian heritage” and cites “the desire of all Ukrainians to live their lives with their own traditions and holidays.”
“The nights before Christmas are the longest of the year. However, the day has already started to get longer and the light is starting to assert itself. The light is getting stronger. The darkness will eventually lose. Evil will be defeated,” Zelensky said in a video speech on Sunday.
In Pakistan's eastern Punjab province, Christians whose homes were destroyed or damaged by a Muslim mob in August celebrated amid fear in the town of Jaranwala. Christians fled their homes from the attackers and returned to the places of destruction.
Jaranwala resident Ratan Bhatti said Christmas will not be the same as before. “Every house used to be lit up and decorated with stars,” he said. “People are still in fear and sadness. Our largest church was burned down. It’s hard to forget that day.”
The rampage was one of the most destructive attacks on Christians in Pakistan's history and sparked nationwide condemnation. The minority, which is among Pakistan's poorest, faces an increasingly intolerant atmosphere in the Muslim-majority country, where radical religious and sectarian groups have become more prominent.
Local priest Khalid Mukhtar said the people of Jaranwala had not yet overcome their trauma. “We haven’t experienced the traditional spirit of Christmas yet. We are trying to motivate people to celebrate the festival with traditional fervour.”
“We are determined to celebrate it,” Mukhtar added.
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Shaheen reported from Yabroud, Syria and Bhatti reported from Jaranwala, Pakistan. Associated Press writers Katie Marie Davies in London and Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.