Midnight mass held at Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity

[Silvio_Dante]

I was surprised not to see mention of this but it might be elsewhere in the forum.

Anyway, some scenes from the Church of the Nativity, Manger Square. Where Christian Palestinians celebrated Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. Among the guests the Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. The chief celebrant was Archbishop Twal…

youtube.com/watch?v=-U8G1wqITCY

 

[Abba]

Thank you for sharing. It’s good to see the President of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, enjoying himself. What a hero, eh?

 

[Silvio_Dante]

Thank you for sharing. It’s good to see the President of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, enjoying himself. What a hero, eh?

The Palestinian Catholic Church gave the respect due to the Head of the Authority in the invitation, and he gratefully accepted…

 

[Abba]

The Palestinian Catholic Church gave the respect due to the Head of the Authority in the invitation, and he gratefully accepted…

Very nice.

From what I have heard of it, there would be points which I would disagree with his doctorate dissertation. There are other points that he makes in his dissertation which I do not know enough to evaluate.That aside, he has done an excellent job representing the Palestinian people and achieving the recognition of the State of Palestine.

Praying for peace.

 

[YoungTradCath]

The Patriarch of Jerusalem celebrates extremely beautiful Masses.

 

[Silvio_Dante]

Very nice.

From what I have heard of it, there would be points which I would disagree with his doctorate dissertation. There are other points that he makes in his dissertation which I do not know enough to evaluate.That aside, he has done an excellent job representing the Palestinian people and achieving the recognition of the State of Palestine.

Praying for peace.

Nice words…

 

[Dwyer]

Photos and a news story about Christmas in Bethlehem:

Crowds throng Bethlehem for Christmas

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Thousands of Christian pilgrims from around the world packed the West Bank town of Bethlehem for Christmas Eve celebrations on Tuesday, bringing warm holiday cheer to the biblical birthplace of Jesus on a cool, clear night.

The heavy turnout, its highest in years, helped lift spirits in Bethlehem as leaders expressed hope that the coming year would finally bring the Palestinians an independent state of their own.

“The message of Christmas is a message of peace, love and brotherhood. We have to be brothers with each other,” said Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal, the top Roman Catholic cleric in the Holy Land, as he arrived in town.

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/dec/24/crowds-gather-in-bethlehem-for-christmas/

Photos from CBS News:

cbsnews.com/pictures/christmas-celebrated-in-bethlehem/