December 25, 2025 | 07:04 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Thousands of people gathered in Bethlehem's Manger Square on Christmas Eve, as Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the top Catholic leader in the Holy Land, formally opened the celebrations.
Arriving in Manger Square, Pizzaballa said he carried greetings from Gaza’s small Christian community, where he celebrated a pre-Christmas Mass earlier in the week.
He said that amid widespread destruction, he also witnessed a strong desire to live and rebuild.
"We, all together, we decide to be the light, and the light of Bethlehem is the light of the world," he told the crowd of Christians and Muslims gathered in the square.
Crossing the separation wall into the West Bank from Jerusalem earlier, Pizzaballa called for "a Christmas full of light," saying, "after two years of darkness, we need light."
Despite the festive scenes, the economic impact of the war remains severe in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. In Bethlehem, about 80% of residents depend on tourism-related businesses, according to local authorities.
Most of those celebrating were local residents, with only a small number of foreign visitors present.
Traditional celebrations in Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank were rather subdued over the past two years because of Israel's genocidal war in Gaza.
This year's celebrations are still overshadowed by war, despite the shaky ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, which took effect on October 10.
Christians are a minority in the Jewish state and across the Palestinian territories.
From Gaza's more than 2 million inhabitants, around 1,000 are Christians, while around 2% of Israel's population of 10 million are Christian. Christians also account for around 1.5% of the 3 million people living in the West Bank.
Read: Pope Leo to Celebrate First Christmas Eve Mass as Catholic Pontiff
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