Thousands of people filled Bethlehem’s Manger Square on Christmas Eve, bringing long awaited joy to a city that has endured two years of muted celebrations due to the war in Gaza. Families across the Holy Land embraced the return of holiday spirit, marking a moment of relief and resilience.
At the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV led his first Midnight Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. In his homily, he reflected on the “wisdom” of the Christmas story, praising the power of a defenseless infant born to uplift humanity. “In the face of the suffering of the poor, God sends one who is defenseless to be the strength to rise again,” he told the packed congregation.
Bethlehem, believed by Christians to be the birthplace of Jesus, had cancelled Christmas festivities during the conflict. This year, the towering Christmas tree returned to Manger Square, replacing last year’s wartime nativity scene that depicted baby Jesus surrounded by rubble and barbed wire in tribute to Gaza’s suffering.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the senior Catholic figure in the Holy Land, opened the celebrations with the traditional procession from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. He carried greetings from Gaza’s small Christian community, where he held a pre Christmas Mass days earlier. Amid the devastation, he said he witnessed a determination to rebuild. “We decide to be the light, and the light of Bethlehem is the light of the world,” he told the crowd of Christians and Muslims gathered together.
Despite the renewed cheer, the effects of the war remain severe in the Israeli occupied West Bank. Bethlehem’s economy relies heavily on tourism, and local officials say about 80 per cent of residents depend on tourism related work. Foreign visitors were few this year, though some locals say they sense early signs of recovery.
“Today is a day of joy, a day of hope, the beginning of the return of normal life here,” said tour guide Georgette Jackaman. She and her husband, Michael, come from Christian families rooted in Bethlehem for generations. This Christmas is the first their two young children, aged two and a half and ten months, have been able to experience fully.
During the war, the Jackamans launched a website selling Palestinian handicrafts to help support artisans who lost their income. Bethlehem’s unemployment rate soared from 14 per cent to 65 per cent, the city’s mayor said earlier this month.
For visitors like Mona Riewer of France, being in Bethlehem offered a deeper understanding of the holiday’s meaning.
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