BETHLEHEM, Palestinian Territories — Christians gathered at the Church of the Nativity in the holy city of Bethlehem on Tuesday to mark a solemn Christmas overshadowed by war, as Pope Francis led mass in the Vatican.
In Bethlehem, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, festive decorations were missing for a second consecutive year.
The crowd of several hundred paled in comparison to the throngs of tourists and pilgrims of Christmases past — a reflection of the sombre mood as the war between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip churns on.
At St Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis urged the faithful to think “of the wars, of the machine-gunned children, of the bombs on schools or hospitals,” days after he reiterated his condemnation of the “cruelty” of Israeli strikes, prompting objections from Israeli diplomats.
At Manger Square, the heart of the Palestinian city dominated by the revered church that marks the site where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born, a group of scouts held a parade that broke the morning’s silence.
“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.
In a message to Christians all over the world, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked them for supporting Israel’s fight against the “forces of evil”.
Christians in Syria
In war-ravaged Gaza, which is separated from the West Bank by Israeli territory, hundreds of Christians gathered at a church to pray for an end to the war.
“This Christmas carries the stench of death and destruction,” said George al-Sayegh, who for weeks has sought refuge in the 12th-century Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza City.
“There is no joy, no festive spirit. We don’t even know who will survive until the next holiday.”
Elsewhere in the Middle East, hundreds of people took to the streets in Christian areas of Damascus to protest the burning of a Christmas tree in a Syrian town, just over two weeks after Islamist-led rebels ousted president Bashar al-Assad.
“If we’re not allowed to live our Christian faith in our country, as we used to, then we don’t belong here anymore,” said a demonstrator who gave his name as Georges.
Syria’s new rulers have vowed to protect the country’s religious minorities, including Christians.
But some Syrian Christians, including longtime secular opponents to Assad’s rule, fear the new leadership’s Islamist ideology will mean their community’s aspirations and those of other minorities will not be taken into account in the transition.
