Bethlehem

Pope Francis presides over Christmas eve Mass, at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Sunday Dec. 24, 2023.

Pope Francis mourns the rejection of peace and "futile logic of war" this Christmas

6:40pm December 24, 2023

by Dustin Jones

In his Christmas Mass address Sunday, he said the word of God is being drowned out by the violence in Gaza. Pope Francis has called for a ceasefire multiple times since the war started on Oct. 7.

A view of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church's Nativity scene in Bethlehem. This year, it portrays a baby Christ born under rubble and wrapped up in a Palestinian keffiyeh.

World News

There's no Christmas in Bethlehem this year. With war in Gaza, festivities are off

7:00am December 16, 2023

In a city synonymous with the birth of Jesus, Christmas is typically a time when Bethlehem is full of visitors. But with war raging, the city's Christian leaders have canceled public celebrations.

A handful of visitors tour the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Christ, in the biblical West Bank city of Bethlehem, on Dec. 15.

Religion

For a second Christmas, the Holy Land is closed to pilgrims because of COVID

1:46pm December 23, 2021

by Daniel Estrin

A Palestinian who gives tours of Bethlehem, and the different meanings it holds for different people, reflects on another subdued Christmas in the West Bank city.

Queue Listen Now

Clergymen carry a wooden relic believed to be from Jesus' manger outside the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed by Christians to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, on Saturday.

Religion

Pope Francis Sends A Relic Of Jesus' Manger To The Holy Land

5:36pm November 30, 2019

by Huo Jingnan

At the start of Christmas season, Pope Francis has sent a small piece of wooden relic reputed to be part of Jesus' manger after he was born to Bethlehem, traditionally known as Jesus' birthplace.

During the restoration work, this mosaic angel was discovered hidden under a layer of plaster.

PHOTOS: At Christmastime, Historic Bethlehem Church In Midst Of Restoration

4:53pm December 24, 2016

by Daniel Estrin

The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem is more than 1,500 years old and in the midst of a large restoration project, cleaning grime off mosaics and giving the church its first face-lift in centuries.