Every year the city of Bethlehem welcomes thousands of pilgrims, who come to witness the most joyful season for this town, but the ongoing conflict has limited the outward celebrations, yet this joy continuous to live in the hearts of the Christians of the Holy Land, as nothing can turn off the flame of joy brought to us by the Birth of the Savior, which is the hope and joy of the Church.
(The moment the statue of Baby Jesus was placed in the Grotto during Christmas Eve Mass)
On December 24th, 2023, H.B. Card. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and his delegation were welcomed into the City of Bethlehem through a procession, which ended at the Basilica of the Nativity, announcing the beginning of the prayers, which lead up to Christmas Eve Mass at the Church of Saint Catherine in Bethlehem, adjacent to the Nativity grotto.
During the procession, the Terra Sancta scouts refrained from playing any melodies on their instruments to show solidarity with the people of Gaza. Instead, they raised banners asking for peace and justice to manifest in this land.
As a gesture of love and nearness to the Church of the Holy Land, His Holiness Pope Francis sent Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, Apostolic Almoner, to pray with the faithful during Christmas, as well as visit the orphans, poor families, and Catholic institutions to listen to their needs in these hard times and convey them to H.H.
(Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, Apostolic Almoner, at the Grotto)
“I have found an unexpected amount of love in this small city of Bethlehem,” said Elizabeth, a volunteer from the United States, who helps the Sisters of the Incarnate Word in caring for children and young people with physical and mental disabilities in the Hogar Niño Dios welcome house near the Basilica of the Nativity. "Especially at this time of Christmas, despite the lack of external celebrations, their faith, love, and devotion to God remains strong, and this has left a great impact on me,” she added.
Before vesper prayers began, Fr. Rami Asakra, the parish priest of St. Catherine church, welcomed the Cardinals, Bishops, and all the representatives of civil and ecclesiastical institutions, commenting: "We may not show external joy this year as a sign of our humanity and solidarity with the victims of the war. But we are still celebrating Christmas, after being disappointed by the leaders of this world, to prove and proclaim to the whole world that through the Birth of Christ, our king, God became Immanuel, and his light still shines in the darkness, for it cannot overcome him. We have come to remind the world that God is love and that all human beings are his children and have the right to justice, peace, joy, and life". In the evening, H.B. Card. Pierbattista Pizzaballa and an accompanying delegation of Bishops met with Dr. Ramzi Khoury, a representative of President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as several ambassadors and consuls.
(Fr. Rami Asakra, next to Fr. Gabriel Romanalli, parish priest of Gaza)
In his homily at the Midnight Mass, Card. Pizzaballa emphasized the words of the Gospel “There was no room for them” (Lk. 2:7) likening it to our world today which seems to have no place for the birth of the Prince of Peace, reminding believers of God's ability to always find a place for Christmas even in these dramatic circumstances, saying: “we believe God can make room even in the hardest of hearts”. And during his homily on Christmas day, he talked about what it means to celebrate Christmas saying: “The Birth of Christ shows God's desire to enter into a relationship with humanity through the incarnation of the Word, and celebrating his Nativity means to accept the Word, and receive his desire for love, peace, and reconciliation, by proclaiming it”.
He concluded with a prayer: " May Christ be born anew in this land, His and ours, and may the way of the Gospel of peace for the whole world begin again from here! May He be reborn in the hearts of those who believe in Him, moving them to witness and mission, without the fear of night and death! May He also be reborn as a desire for peace and goodness, truth and justice, in the hearts of those who do not yet believe!”.
Christmas in Bethlehem 2023:
Click below to view the Album pictures for Christmas:
Christmas meeting with Jerusalem parishioners
Solemn Entry to Bethlehem and Vespers