Bethlehem Marks First Christmas Celebration in Three Years

25 Dec, 2025

Christmas celebrations have returned to Bethlehem as a fragile truce continues in the Gaza Strip, where many families are still sheltering in temporary tents and urgently need humanitarian aid.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who recently visited the Church of the Holy Family, Gaza’s only Catholic parish, led the opening of the festivities in the town where Jesus was born. During his visit to Gaza, he conveyed the Church’s solidarity and support to the small Christian community there.

Continuing tradition, the Latin Patriarch made the ceremonial procession from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. Addressing crowds in Manger Square, he said he carried the greetings and hopes of Gaza’s Christians, who remain determined to rebuild despite hardship.

He expressed his wish that this Christmas would be one filled with light and renewal.

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