A message of peace, hope and rebirth on the night of Bethlehem in front of thousands of faithful, after two years of low-key celebrations for the war in Gaza. The Holy Mass on Christmas Eve was the occasion for a profound reflection by the Latin Patriarch, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, on the sense of the divine within human contradictions. “Christmas invites us to look beyond the logic of domination, to rediscover the power of love, solidarity and justice”, he began.
The central announcement of Christmas is that “God does not wait for history to improve before entering it”, said Pizzaballa. «He does not create a parallel reality, nor does he choose a moment of perfect peace to reveal himself, but accepts real history, even when it appears confused, unjust or violent. By becoming man, God espouses reality and plants an invincible seed of peace over time, demonstrating that no situation is too dark for Him to inhabit.”
“The peace announced by the angels – underlined the Latin Patriarch who was visiting the parish of Gaza over the weekend – is not the simple result of fragile political agreements, but a gift”. In Gaza “the suffering is still present”, recalled Pizzaballa, “the wounds are deep, yet I must say that, even here, even there, the announcement of Christmas resonates. I was struck by their strength and their desire to start again.”
In Bethlehem for this Christmas the gigantic tree returned to Manger Square and in the West Bank city there were crowded parades and music while 70 km. further south, in Gaza hundreds of thousands of people still brave the winter in makeshift tents despite the fragile truce.
The first pilgrims and foreign tourists were seen again in the city, some of whom accompanied Pizzaballa in the traditional procession from Jerusalem to the city where Jesus was born. “We all together choose to be the light, and the light of Bethlehem is the light of the world”, said the Latin Patriarch.
The vice president of the Palestinian National Authority, Hussein al-Sheikh, was present at the mass, representing Abu Mazen. Initially, as reported by the Wafa agency, the Israeli authorities had blocked his convoy at the gates of Bethlehem but then, under pressure from the United States, they let him pass.