COVID puts a damper on Christmas Eve again around the world
AP From Bethlehem and Frankfurt to London and Boston, the surging coronavirus put a damper on Christmas Eve for a second year, forcing churches to cancel or scale back services and disrupting travel plans and family gatherings. Drummers and bagpipers marched through Bethlehem – the town where Christians believe Jesus was born – to smaller […]
Christian officials accuse Israel of holiday discrimination
Jerusalem, IsraelAP A spokesman for Christian churches in the Holy Land on Wednesday accused Israel of discriminating against Christian tourists during the normally busy Christmas holiday season. Israel last month closed its borders to foreign tourists in response to the outbreak of the omicron coronavirus variant. But this week, Israeli officials decided to make an exception […]
Postcards: Christmas in Bethlehem – Gilded treasures, but few tourists
ILAN BEN ZION, of Associated Press, reports from the West Bank…
Updated: Coronavirus dampens Christmas joy in Bethlehem and elsewhere
Updated: 4.20pm (AEDT)Bethlehem, West Bank AP Bethlehem on Thursday ushered in Christmas Eve with a stream of joyous marching bands and the triumphant arrival of the top Catholic clergyman in the Holy Land, but few people were there to greet them as the coronavirus pandemic and a strict lockdown dampened celebrations in the traditional birthplace […]
Postcards: Christians in Holy Land face bleak Christmas season due to COVID-19
MICHELE CHABIN, of Religion News Service, reports on the impact of the coronavirus in Jerusalem and Jesus’ birthplace of Bethlehem…
Essay: Oh, little town of Bethlehem
NELL POTTER, executive officer of the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Network in Australia, writes about why the Palestinian narrative should be included in discussions about the Holy Land at Christmas…
Lockdown looms over Christmas in Bethlehem
Ramallah, West BankAP The mayor of Bethlehem on Thursday said Christmas celebrations in the birthplace of Jesus will be limited to just a handful of people this year as Palestinian officials announced a strict new lockdown across the West Bank due to a soaring coronavirus outbreak. In an interview, Mayor Anton Salman said his town […]
Born among the animals
The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem is built on the stone cave where they think Jesus was born. Stained glass windows depicting the birth of Christ in St Malachy’s Church, Main Street, Castlewellan, Northern Ireland, UK. PICTURE: K Mitch Hodge/Unsplash Stables in ancient Palestine were stone not wood – and often attached to houses. The […]
Christmas tree-lighting in Bethlehem a muted, virtual event
BethlehemAP Only a few dozen people attended the lighting of the Christmas tree in the Biblical city of Bethlehem on Saturday night, as coronavirus restrictions scaled back the annual event that is normally attended by thousands. A small group of residents and religious leaders participated in the tree-lighting ceremony at Manger Square near the Church […]
Postcards: Coronavirus robs Biblical Bethlehem of Christmas cheer
JELAL HASSAN, of The Associated Press, reports from the West Bank…