By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
JERUSALEM/BETHLEHEM/GAZA (Worthy News) – Most Christmas events were canceled in the Biblical birthplace of Jesus, with authorities saying the Israel-Hamas war gives no reason to celebrate the “Prince of Peace.”
The festive lights and Christmas tree that usually decorate Manger Square were missing, and Palestinian security forces patrolled the empty square.
Yet there was an exception on Christmas Eve, with Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, entering this ancient city to say Mass.
He arrived after passing through a clanking metal gate built into a high concrete wall beside an Israeli army watchtower scorched by petrol bombs and covered with graffiti.
The cardinal came in a procession from Jerusalem to Bethlehem in the West Bank enclave to say midnight Mass at the Church of the Nativity. The 6th-century basilica was built upon the grotto where these church leaders claim Jesus was born, though the Bible seems less specific.
In his homily, he spoke of “hatred, resentment, and the spirit of revenge” in our hearts. He asked the people to look for the light, which has been overshadowed by the Israel-Gaza war.
Some 4,060 kilometers (2,523 miles) away, Pope Francis briefly drew attention to the beleaguered Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, condemning the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
STATUETTE OF JESUS
“Tonight, our hearts are in Bethlehem where the Prince of Peace is once more rejected by the futile logic of war,” Francis said in a Christmas Eve sermon about Jesus. “By the clash of arms that even today prevents him from finding room in the world.”
The pontiff presided Sunday over the evening Mass attended by about 6,500 faithful who took their place amid the splendor of St. Peter’s Basilica behind rows of white-clad prelates.
As Mass began, the ‘statuette’ of the Jesus child was unveiled before the altar, adorned in greenery and white flowers, and children representing all corners of the globe placed flowers around a gilded throne.
It was a far cry from the somber atmosphere in Bethlehem amid reports of massive clashes that the Hamas-run health ministry claimed killed scores of people in Gaza since Sunday.
The ministry blamed Israeli strikes, but Israel says Hamas is hiding its fighters, weapons, and even suicide vests for children at civilian sites, making it difficult to avoid civilian causalities.
Israel’s military has suffered too, saying Monday that the death toll of troops killed in Gaza has risen to 156 since the start of the ground invasion.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
A devastating plea for prayer has emerged from Lebanon as Pastor Chady El Aouad of Abundant Life Church in Beirut confirmed the martyrdom of a fellow minister and over 20 of his family members amid the violent upheaval in Suweida, Syria. Pastor Khaled Mezhir, leader of the Good Shepherd Evangelical Church in Suweida, was reportedly killed along with his wife, parents, and extended family during fierce fighting between Druze militias and Sunni Bedouin factions in the war-torn southern province.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced Sunday it will begin ground operations in Deir al-Balah for the first time since the start of the Gaza conflict, expanding its military campaign into one of the last remaining areas of the Strip untouched by ground forces. The move comes with a new evacuation warning to civilians in the southwest of the city, directing them to seek refuge in the overcrowded coastal zone of al-Mawasi.
Iran and the European powers known as the E3–Britain, France, and Germany–have agreed in principle to resume negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program in the coming week, amid mounting international pressure and a looming deadline that could trigger a full reinstatement of United Nations sanctions.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard unveiled what she called “overwhelming evidence” of a coordinated conspiracy within the Obama administration to undermine President Donald Trump following his 2016 election victory. Speaking on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures, Gabbard detailed revelations from over 100 declassified documents released Friday and said she would formally refer the material to the Department of Justice and FBI for criminal investigation.
The Trump administration announced Friday that the United States is formally rejecting a series of controversial amendments to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Health Regulations (IHR), saying the changes would grant sweeping new powers to the UN health body and undermine American sovereignty.
A night out turned to horror early Saturday in the U.S. city of Los Angeles when a man rammed his vehicle into a crowd outside a nightclub, injuring at least 30 people before being dragged from the car and shot by furious bystanders, authorities said.
Pope Leo XIV has urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to achieve a ceasefire and “protect places of worship” after Gaza’s only Catholic Church was reportedly struck by Israel’s military, killing three people and injuring 10, including the parish priest, the Vatican said.