Pope kicks off Christmas celebrations in shadow of wars

ROME — Pope Francis on Sunday kicked off global Christmas celebrations with a call for peace, as Israel’s war on Hamas and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine cast a shadow over one of the world’s favourite holidays.

Children around the globe, meanwhile, tracked Santa, his reindeer and their present-laden sleigh with the help of www.noradsanta.org, a 3-D interactive website run annually by a joint US-Canadian military monitoring agency.

And revellers the world over donned Santa’s red caps for a shot of holiday cheer in all sorts of leisure activities — a city race in Spopje, a surfing session in Florida, a jog in the woods on the outskirts of Paris, a dip in the sea near the port of Dover, and a dip with a drink in hand in Lake Geneva.

At the Vatican, the Pope struck a somber tone.

“Tonight, our hearts are in Bethlehem, where the Prince of Peace is once more rejected by the futile logic of war, by the clash of arms that even today prevents him from finding room in the world,” the Pope said, adding that Jesus “does not eliminate injustice from above by a show of force, but from below, by a show of love”.

Earlier in the day, the pontiff had said: “We are close to our brothers and sisters who are suffering from war — we are thinking of Palestine, of Israel, of Ukraine”.

Bethlehem, the biblical city in the occupied West Bank where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born in a manger more than 2000 years ago, effectively cancelled the annual Christmas celebrations that normally draw thousands of tourists.

The town did away with its giant Christmas tree, marching bands and flamboyant nativity scene this year, settling for just a few festive lights.

In the centre of town, a huge Palestinian flag had been unfolded with a banner declaring that “The bells of Bethlehem ring for a ceasefire in Gaza”.

“A lot of people are dying for this land,” said Nicole Najjar, an 18-year-old student. “It’s really hard to celebrate while our people are dying.”

The Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, arrived on Sunday at the Church of the Nativity, clad in the traditional black and white keffiyeh.

“Our heart goes to Gaza, to all people in Gaza but a special attention to our Christian community in Gaza who is suffering,” he said.