Christmas updates: Bethlehem hosts subdued celebrations

Christmas festivities in Jerusalem have been toned down for a second year running due to the ongoing war in Gaza.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the highest representative of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land led the traditional Christmas procession to the Church of the Nativity.

In his Christmas message, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has called for unity following the deadly Christmas market attack in Magdeburg.

"Hatred and violence must not have the final word," he said.

Ukraine, which used to celebrate Christmas on January 7 along with the Russian Orthodox Church, is celebrating its second Christmas in December after a change in the law last year to move to the Western calendar.

Below, you can read how Christmas is being marked around the world on Tuesday, December 24, 2024.

12/24/2024December 24, 2024

German president: Christmas market attack casts 'dark shadow'

Speaking just days after the deadly car-ramming attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, the German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said there was a "dark shadow" hanging over this Christmas.

"Mourning. Pain. Horror. Bewilderment over what happened in Magdeburg just a few days before Christmas," the president said in his traditional end-of-year speech.

Steinmeier went on to say that "we can only imagine" what the relatives of the victims are going through after losing their loved ones.

"You are not alone in your pain. The people throughout our country feel for you and mourn with you," he added, while also thanking police and the medical staff for their work after the attack.

Speaking about the attack's effects on society, Steinmeier called for people living in Germany to reject division.

"Hatred and violence must not have the final word," he said. "Let's not allow ourselves to be driven apart. Let's stand together!"

He also referred to the Ukraine war, the conflicts in the Middle East as well the collapse of Germany's governing coalition earlier this month and other pressing issues at home.

"There’s a great deal of dissatisfaction about politics, business, red tape, about injustice. The tone in our country has become rougher, at times hostile, in our everyday lives," Steinmeier said.

"We have to speak candidly about what is going wrong, about what isn’t working in our country as it could and should. Above all, we must talk about what needs to be done urgently," he added.

12/24/2024December 24, 2024

Pope Francis to lead Christmas mass at St Peter's Basilica

In 2016, Pope Francis proclaimed the Jubilee of Mercy, during which the Holy Door was also openedImage: Andrew Medichini/AP/picture alliance

Pope Francis is set to open the "Holy Door" of St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican to launch Jubilee 2025, a year of events that is expected to draw millions of pilgrims to Rome.

The 88-year-old pontiff will appear in front of 30,000 people and a live TV audience worldwide on Tuesday evening to kick off the occasion, which is also known as Holy Year and takes place every 25 years.

Catholics can be forgiven for their sins in a ritual that involves walking through the imposing bronze Holy Door, which is normally bricked up. Visitors to the Vatican are expected to do so in large numbers over the next year.

Much of Rome has also been given a facelift in preparation, with monuments such as the Trevi Fountain and the Ponte Sant'Angelo cleaned up and roads redesigned to improve the flow of traffic.

Some 700 security officers are being deployed for the Jubilee celebrations, with measures further tightened following Friday's deadly car-ramming on a Christmas market in Germany.

Later Tuesday, Pope Francis will preside over the traditional Christmas Eve mass at St Peter's Square.

On Wednesday, he will deliver his traditional Christmas Day blessing, Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world). 

On Thursday, Francis will open a Holy Door at a prison in Rome and preside over a mass in a show of support for the inmates.  

12/24/2024December 24, 2024

Ukraine celebrates its second Christmas in December after Russia snub

Ukraine is this year celebrating Christmas in December for the second time after the law was changed to move away from the traditional January date observed by the Russian Orthodox Church.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the legislation in 2023 stating the country would "abandon the Russian heritage" of celebrating on January 7.

"For the second time, we celebrate Christmas on the same date as one big family, one country. For the second time in modern history, Christmas unites all Ukrainians," Zelenskyy said in a social media post on Tuesday.

"Whether in person or in our minds, we will greet each other, call our parents, kiss our children, hug our loved ones, and remember those we hold dear. In person, from afar, or in our hearts — Ukrainians are together today. And as long as we do this, evil has no chance."

Between them, Ukraine and Russia are estimated to have lost around half a million soldiers during the nearly three-year war. More than 10,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed.

According to reports, around 150,000 Ukrainian soldiers remain at the frontline, out of a total of 2.2 million strong military personnel.

Millions of Ukrainian refugees are spending their third Christmas abroad, having been offered shelter in neighboring European countries when the war began.

12/24/2024December 24, 2024

Christmas in Bethlehem scaled back due to Gaza war

The procession to the Church of the Nativity was led by Patriach Pierbattista PizzaballaImage: Hazem Bader/AFP

Overshadowed by the Gaza war for the second year in a row, the traditional Christmas procession  has arrived in Bethlehem, which Christians believe to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the highest representative of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, led a convoy of vehicles from Jerusalem and walked the stretch to the Church of the Nativity.

Due to the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, this year's celebrations in Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank, are rather subdued, with many events called off and most tourists staying away.

Tourism accounts for an estimated 70% of the city's income — almost all of it earned during the Christmas season.

Traditionally, a grand Christmas tree would light up Manger Square, but local authorities opted against elaborate decorations for a second year.

Prayers, including the church's famed midnight mass, will still be held in the presence of the Patriarch.

Palestinian security forces have kept up a presence around the Church of the Nativity in case of violence.

There are about 182,000 Christians in Israel, 50,000 in the West Bank and Jerusalem and 1,300 in Gaza, according to the US State Department.

mm, kb/rm (AFP, Reuters)