Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christ, celebrated another Christmas for the second year in a row amidst exceptional circumstances marked by grief and a lack of pilgrims. Yet, a message of hope and faith echoed through the streets. His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, emphasized that “the Angel’s song of glory, joy, and peace shows how out of tune the noise of war and the empty rhetoric of the powerful are! That song’s voice is not too feeble but resounds with strength through the tears of those who suffer, it encourages us to make vengeance powerless through forgiveness.” He also reminded the faithful to become pilgrims of hope as they look toward the Jubilee of 2025, affirming that the joy of Christmas can never be taken from them: “Through Christ’s birth, eternal life has found a place in the harshness of time, through hearts and minds willing to welcome it..”
The Christmas celebrations commenced on December 24th, 2024, with the solemn procession led by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pizzaballa, as he walked along Bethlehem’s Star Street toward the Basilica of the Nativity. While the Scouts refrained from playing their music in solidarity with the people of Gaza, they held up prayer banners calling for justice.
At midnight, St. Catherine Church in Bethlehem was filled with both locals and a few pilgrims who had made the journey to Bethlehem, despite the challenges. Together, they prayed for God’s light to shine upon those living in darkness, celebrating the birth of Emmanuel.
On Christmas Day, December 25th, H.B. Cardinal Pizzaballa presided over the Solemn Mass for the local parishioners, during which he expressed his solidarity with the people of Gaza, Bethlehem, and other areas affected by violence. He encouraged them to follow Christ’s example, living with love and trust in God, stating: “You are a sign of hope and a testimony of the Christian faith.”
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