Christmas mass in Bethlehem: compassion for people in Gaza

"You are not alone," said Pizzaballa in St. Catherine's Church right next to the Church of the Nativity in the small town on the West Bank. "You are truly a visible sign of hope in the midst of the catastrophe of total destruction that surrounds you," said the Latin Patriarch, who had visited the only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip before Christmas.

At the same time, Pizzaballa said it was "difficult for me to proclaim the joy of Jesus' birth this year, to you and to all those who are looking towards Bethlehem from all over the world". The angel's song seems "out of tune after a tiring year full of tears, bloodshed, suffering and destroyed hopes and plans for peace and justice", he said. The Christmas story could provide comfort.

Overshadowed by the devastating war in Gaza, the Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem - according to tradition the birthplace of Jesus Christ - were rather subdued this year. The traditional procession from Jerusalem arrived in Bethlehem in the afternoon. However, there were no festive decorations and no lighting of a large Christmas tree in the square in front of the Church of the Nativity.