The sense of hollowness of the Church of the Nativity is deeper than absent vacationers.
The chants and prayers are pain-stricken and determined.
Down within the manger by the enshrined spot the place child Jesus was mentioned to be born, a priest solemnly swings incense into the corners.
There isn’t any beautifully-lit tree within the sq. outdoors for the second yr in a row. Even of their houses, the Palestinian Christian neighborhood in Bethlehem is struggling to rejoice.
The empty areas and lack of tourism are the shadow of 14 months of conflict in Gaza and a each day reminder of the continued devastation.
And round their household houses, Israeli settlements within the West Bank – unlawful below worldwide legislation – are inching nearer to their houses.
‘Our nation is shrinking’
“Usually we spend Christmas in Bethlehem and Jerusalem however this yr there are not any celebrations due to what is occurring with the conflict. It’s not good to rejoice whereas persons are dying,” says Alice Kisiya.
Alice is from Beit Jala, Bethlehem. For 5 years, her household have waged authorized battles with settlers over their generational residence.
“Every Christmas we had demolition as a result of every time they arrive and demolish. Final yr, we have been celebrating Christmas there they usually got here and demolished our small tent,” says Alice.
She and her household are ready for a Supreme Court docket ruling in January on whether or not they can return.
“Our nation is shrinking. As Palestinian Christians, we can not actually have our freedom to maneuver freely and it is getting worse.”
Her phrases resonate as we drive alongside the West Financial institution wall on the perimeters of Bethlehem.
A stark reminder of the political divide that’s tearing by means of the Holy Land.
‘It appears future of Holy Land is to remain divided’
On the opposite aspect of the wall from the sacred web site the place Jesus was born is the place he was crucified in Jerusalem.
We hear that the procession of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem is quickly arriving by means of a checkpoint contained in the wall into Bethlehem to the Church of Nativity.
A crowd of keen Catholics are ready for him by Rachel’s Tomb, a sacred web site for Orthodox Jews.
College kids visiting the tomb are ushered off the road by elders conscious of the arrival procession.
They begin to sing defiantly as older college students are forcefully faraway from the street by Israeli police.
There’s a hushed sense of anticipation and awe from these ready for Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa to reach from the Church of Holy Sepulchre – the place Jesus was crucified – to the Church of the Nativity, the place he was born in refuge.
“This is a crucial greater than a thousand-year-old custom,” says Tony Marcos, Dean of the Catholic Motion Basis.
As a Palestinian resident of the West Financial institution, Tony shouldn’t be permitted to make the procession between the 2 holy websites.
“It appears the future of this Holy Land to remain divided and these are troublesome instances we live in,” he provides.
“Christmas is the season of affection and the season of hope. There may be large ache and there may be instability – loads of sacrifices and loads of blood,” he says.
Tony Marcos
‘We would like subsequent yr to be full of sunshine’
The nervousness appears to dissipate as Cardinal Pizzaballa arrives.
He shakes fingers with a queue of individuals desirous to get near the chief of the Church they can not go to.
“This Christmas, we wish individuals to not lose hope. It’s attainable to interrupt down the hatred, the division, the contempt and the shortage of justice and dignity we’re experiencing right here,” says Cardinal Pizzaballa.
“The prayer is to lift our gaze and to look ahead, not backwards. We would like the subsequent yr to be full of sunshine – lighted within the darkness.”
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Pierbattista Pizzaballa
This yr, the thousand-year-old custom is extra highly effective than ever.
“The which means [of this crossing] is that it’s attainable. Even when there are monumental and troublesome partitions, it’s attainable to cross them.”
