God bless them – Peter
Christmas celebrations in the Holy Land have begun with a traditional procession arriving in Bethlehem, considered the birthplace of Jesus Christ.
The motorcade that set off from Jerusalem was led by the highest representative of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa.
In sunny weather and to the sound of loud bagpipe music, the procession was welcomed by Christian dignitaries in Bethlehem on Wednesday afternoon, where Pizzaballa is set to celebrate midnight mass.
Due to the war in Gaza, traditional Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank were rather subdued in the past two years.
But following a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian extremist group Hamas that took effect on October 10, a large Christmas tree has been put up outside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
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