Christmas Eve attracts thousands to Bethlehem, Holy Land sites and Vatican

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Thousands of people flocked to Bethlehem’s Manger Square. Christmas Eve as families there and at other sites in the Holy Land heralded a much-needed boost in festive spirit, after two years of subdued celebrations due to the war in Gaza.

In the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV presided over his first midnight mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. In his homily, he marveled at the “wisdom” of the Christmas story: a baby Jesus born to save humanity.

“Faced with the suffering of the poor, (God) sends the defenseless to have the strength to rise,” the first American pope declared in front of a crowded basilica.

Bethlehem, where Christians believe Jesus was born, had Christmas celebrations canceled during the war. But on Wednesday, the giant Christmas tree returned to Manger Square, temporarily replacing the war nativity scene of the baby Jesus surrounded by rubble and barbed wire in homage to the suffering in Gaza.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballathe highest Catholic leader in the Holy Land, kicked off this year’s celebrations during the traditional procession from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, calling for “a Christmas full of light”.

Pizzaballa said he came with greetings from The small Christian community of Gazawhere he celebrated a pre-Christmas mass on Sunday. In the devastation, he saw a desire to rebuild.

“We all decide together to be the light, and the light of Bethlehem is the light of the world,” he told thousands of people, Christians and Muslims.

Despite the joy of the holidays, the impact of the war in the Israeli-occupied West Bank is severe, particularly in Bethlehem, where about 80 percent of the city’s residents are predominantly Muslim depend on tourism-related businessesaccording to the local government.

There were only a handful of foreigners there, but some residents said they were starting to see signs of change as tourism gradually returned.

“Hope in very dark situations”

“Today is a day of joy, a day of hope, the beginning of returning to normal life here,” said Georgette Jackaman, a Bethlehem tour guide. She and her husband, Michael Jackaman, another guide, come from Christian families in Bethlehem that span generations.

It’s the first real Christmas party for their two children, ages 2 1/2 and 10 months.

During the war, the Jackamans decided to create a website selling Palestinian crafts to support those who lost their livelihoods. Unemployment rate in the city rose from 14% to 65%, according to Bethlehem Mayor Maher Nicola Canawati said earlier this month.

A French visitor, Mona Riewer, said being in Bethlehem helped her appreciate the meaning of the holiday.

“Christmas is like hope in very dark situations,” she said.

Despite a ceasefire in Gaza that began in October, tensions remain high in the West Bank, with Israeli military raids in what they describe as a crackdown on militants. Israeli settler attacks against the Palestinians reached their highest level since the United Nations humanitarian office began collecting data in 2006.

Israel conquered the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war. The internationally recognized Palestinian Authority enjoys limited autonomy in parts of the territory, including Bethlehem.

As poverty and unemployment soared, about 4,000 people left Bethlehem in search of work, the mayor said. worrying trend for Christianswho are massively leaving the region. Christians represent less than 2% of the West Bank’s approximately 3 million residents.

The start of a return to normal life

Fadi Zoughbi, who previously worked overseeing logistics for tour groups, said his children were delighted to see marching bands parading through the streets of Bethlehem, Palestinian flags and tartan draped on their bagpipes. For the past two years, scouts have marched silently to protest the war.

Irene Kirmiz, who grew up in Bethlehem and lives in Ramallah, said the Boy Scout parade was one of her favorite Christmas traditions. His 15-year-old daughter plays the tenor drum with the Ramallah scouts.

But his family had to wake up at 5 a.m. to arrive at the parade, after waiting about three hours at Israeli checkpoints. The journey previously took 40 minutes without the checkpoints that make travel increasingly difficult for the Palestinians, she said.

Over the past two years, Jerusalem church leaders urged congregations to renounce “any unnecessarily festive activity”. They encouraged priests and worshipers to focus on the spiritual significance of Christmas and called for “fervent prayers for a just and lasting peace for our beloved Holy Land.”

Other events in the Middle East mark the resilience of the faithful

Santas were everywhere as the traditional parade returned to Nazareth in northern Israel, revered by Christians as the place where the archangel Gabriel told Mary she would give birth to Jesus.

The hilltop town filled with children. Some performed in live Nativity scenes, and others lined the route waiting for floats and candy under the bright, warm sun.

Incense floated over the pews filled for Christmas Eve mass at Gaza’s only Catholic church, where festive programs for children had also taken place. The Holy Family complex was hit by fragments of an Israeli shell in July, killing three people. Israel called it an accident and expressed regret.

On the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, hundreds of worshipers planned to return for Christmas masses at a Greek Orthodox church where in June 25 people were killed in a suicide attack blamed on Islamic State militants. Tuesday, they gathered to light a neon image of a Christmas tree in his yard.

Festivities around the world

At St. Peter’s, about 6,000 people worshiped inside the vast poinsettia-decorated basilica, while another 5,000 watched Mass on giant screens in the rain-soaked outdoor plaza.

The celebration, with readings and the homily in various languages, including Latin, began with children from different continents laying flowers near the figure of the child Jesus.

Léon will return to the basilica for mass on Christmas Day, followed by his traditional blessing from the loggia.

People around the world also enjoyed Christmas traditions beyond places of worship on Wednesday, from ice skating in New York to charity swimming in the cold sea waters off Northern Ireland.

Along Florida’s Space Coast, Santas jumped on surfboards, not sleighs. Hundreds of surfers dressed as Santa Claus took to the waves off Cocoa Beach, in what has become an annual tradition for 17 years.

Santa’s Surf brought thousands of spectators to the beach dressed in Christmas costumes who danced to live music and participated in a Christmas costume contest.

The event raises money for the Florida Surf Museum and a non-profit organization that helps people with cancer.

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Associated Press journalists Nicole Winfield in Vatican City; Abby Sewell in Beirut; Ariel Schalit in Nazareth, Israel; Michael Schneider in Orlando, Fla., and Giovanna Dell’Orto in Minneapolis contributed to this report.