Overview
- Thousands filled Manger Square after two years of muted observance, with festivities restored under a ceasefire that has reopened the city to worshippers and visitors.
- Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa told the Church of the Nativity that suffering in Gaza persists despite the halt in fighting, with families still living in rubble and the future uncertain.
- The Latin patriarch led the traditional procession from Jerusalem and relayed greetings from Gaza’s small Christian community, where he recently celebrated Mass in devastated neighborhoods.
- Security was heightened as hundreds packed the pews for Midnight Mass, and Palestinian Vice President Hussein Al Sheikh attended despite earlier reports that he might be blocked from entering Bethlehem.
- Local officials described a fragile recovery for the tourism-dependent economy, noting unemployment rose from about 14% to 65% during the war even as signs of returning visitors begin to appear.