As Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa spoke in English shortly after midnight on Monday, December 25, the crowd gathered in the Church of the Nativity in central Bethlehem applauded : “My thoughts are without distinction with everyone, Palestinians and Israelis, with everyone affected by this war, with everyone who mourns, who weeps and waits for a sign of closeness and warmth.” » In his traditional Christmas sermon with political In his voice, the representative of the Catholic Church invokes the “sound of weapons”, the “crying” of children and especially Gaza and its 2 million inhabitants, who are suffering “incomprehensible” violence.
Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, speaks to journalists in Manger Square in Bethlehem, West Bank, on December 24, 2023. ADRIENNE SURPRENANT / MYOP POUR “LE MONDE”
Journalists in front of the “Nativity Scene Among the Rubble,” a work by Tariq Salsa that replaces the nativity scene this year to commemorate the ongoing horror in Gaza, in Bethlehem, West Bank, December 24, 2023. ADRIENNE SURPRENANT / MYOP POUR “LE WORLD”
A Palestinian flag is displayed in Mangeoire Square in Bethlehem, West Bank, on December 24, 2023. ADRIENNE SURPRENANT / MYOP POUR “LE MONDE”
This year, the prelate was unable to spend a few days with the thousand Christians in the Palestinian interior as usual because the Israeli army carried out massive bombings for almost three months in retaliation for the October 7 Hamas attack. Translated into Arabic, the cleric calls on world leaders to support the end of Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories: “We do not want a ceasefire,” he emphasizes. We want an end to all hostilities. »
In Rome, Pope Francis also spoke about the situation in the Palestinian territories. “Our hearts are in Bethlehem tonight,” he declared during Christmas mass, denouncing the “losing logic of war.” The day before, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem spoke by telephone with Emmanuel Macron, who expressed his “deep concern” for Christians in the Gaza Strip. The French president also expressed his condolences over the deaths of a mother and daughter killed by an Israeli sniper outside a church in Gaza on December 16.
In Bethlehem, Christmas took a political turn. In response to the Israeli army bombings that killed more than 20,000 people and tensions in the West Bank that left around 300 Palestinians dead, Christmas celebrations in the city of Bethlehem were canceled by around thirty religious leaders. Instead, in addition to the religious ceremonies organized in all places of worship in the city, the Bethlehem community inaugurated the sculpture “Birth Among the Rubble” by Tariq Salsa on December 23. In fiberglass, the local artist depicts the Virgin Mary holding Jesus “in the style of the martyrs,” Joseph and the Magi carrying a shroud.
The entrance to the Cave of the Nativity, believed to be the birthplace of Christ, beneath the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, West Bank, December 24, 2023. ADRIENNE SURPRENANT / MYOP POUR “LE MONDE”
Women pray in the cave in Bethlehem in the West Bank, December 25, 2023. ADRIENNE SURPRENANT / MYOP POUR “LE MONDE”
On December 25, 2023, believers take turns praying and singing under the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem in the West Bank. ADRIENNE SURPRENANT / MYOP POUR “LE MONDE”
In his speech at the Center for Peace, Hanna Hanania, the mayor of Bethlehem, quotes the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish (1941-2008) and compares the state of Israel to King Herod, who, after the birth of Jesus, ordered the law according to the Gospel over the murder of all little ones Children of Bethlehem to protect its power: “The occupying government, concerned about its throne, kills and deports [les Palestiniens]. »
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