The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa greeted the crowd in Bethlehem in the West Bank Tuesday, where he led the annual Christmas Eve procession to the Church of the Nativity.
The basilica was devoid of decorations and lacked a Christmas tree. Children marching in the cortege held up signs reading, “We want life, not death,” and “Stop the Gaza genocide now!”
This is the second subsequent year that the Bethlehem municipality has elected to downplay Christmas celebrations.