On Tuesday, senior Christian leaders in Jerusalem released a unified Christmas declaration, stressing themes of hope during the holiday season despite persistent Middle Eastern conflicts.
Broad Ecumenical Representation
The signatories encompassed the patriarchs of Jerusalem's Greek Orthodox, Armenian, and Latin churches. They were joined by the Custos of the Holy Land, representing the Roman Catholic Franciscan Custody, and the archbishops of the Coptic Orthodox, Syriac Orthodox, and Ethiopian Orthodox churches.
While a truce in Gaza has allowed communities to observe festivities more openly, the leaders advised vigilance.
In their message, they cited the prophet Jeremiah's warning against proclaiming "peace, peace" where none exists.
"Despite a declared cessation of hostilities, hundreds have continued to be killed or suffer grievous injury," the statement notes.
"Many more have experienced violent assaults against themselves, their properties, and their freedoms — not only in the Holy Land, but also in neighbouring countries."
The church figures expressed their "solidarity with all those who are suffering and downcast."
Simultaneously, they appealed to "Christians and others of goodwill around the world" to persist in prayers and actions for genuine, equitable peace in Jesus Christ's homeland — "and, indeed, throughout the Earth."
Christmas Observances Resume
This marks the first Christmas celebration in the Holy Land following the Gaza conflict's conclusion. A sizable Christmas tree has been erected again this year before Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity.
Following Wednesday's customary procession from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, Midnight Mass will be held there. Israeli tourism authorities anticipate approximately 40,000 Christian pilgrims during the Christmas period.
The Latin Patriarch, the Catholic Church's foremost representative in the region, recently toured the extensively damaged Gaza Strip.
