Baghdad-INA
On Sunday night, the city of Bethlehem celebrated the birthday of Jesus Christ with sadness and silence in light of the continuing war in Gaza, as the Zionist occupation intensifies its bombing of the Strip.
The celebrations of the holiday were absent in the Church of the Nativity, as they were replaced by prayers and calls for peace, more than two months after the outbreak of the most deadly war in the history of wars between the occupation and the Palestinians.
The Bethlehem Municipality canceled celebrations due to the war in Gaza. The Christmas tree and signs of joy were absent in the city, to which the holiday attracted thousands annually.
In the Gaza Strip, Hamas counted 50 raids targeting the central areas early Monday, including the Nuseirat refugee camp.
“Our heart tonight is in Bethlehem, where the Prince of Peace is still rejected by the losing logic of war, with the roar of weapons that prevents him, even today, from finding a place for himself in the world,” Pope Francis said during the Christmas Mass in the Vatican.
For his part, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Berbattista Pizzaballa, arrived in the courtyard of the Church of the Nativity, placing the Palestinian keffiyeh around his neck.
The Patriarch said, “Our hearts are with Gaza, to all the people in Gaza, but in particular to our Christian parish in Gaza that is suffering, but we know that we are not the only ones suffering.”
He continued, “We are here to pray and ask not only for a ceasefire. A ceasefire is not enough. We must stop these hostilities and turn the page because violence only breeds violence.”
The Latin Patriarchate announced earlier this month that a Christian woman and her daughter were killed by occupation bullets in the courtyard of the Holy Family Church.
2023-12-26 03:46:51