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Jesus Christ displayed on a Palestinian Keffiyeh scarf gifted by the Palestinian Higher Committee of Churches Affairs, as part of the "Nativity of Bethlehem 2024" during its inauguration in the Paul VI Hall.

Photo: Andreas Solaro/ AFP via Getty Images.

Jo Lawson-Tancred | December 9, 2024 

On Saturday, Pope Francis unveiled a nativity scene in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall that was created by Palestinian artists from Dar al-Kalima University in Bethlehem. The baby Jesus’s cradle is draped in a traditional Palestinian Keffiyeh, with other elements produced by local craftspeople according to age-old traditions.

“Enough wars, enough violence,” declared the pontiff during his address on December 7. A spokesperson from the Palestine Liberation Organization, Ramzi Khouri, was also in attendance. He conveyed “warm greetings,” from Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas. He also expressed “deep gratitude for the pope’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause and his tireless efforts to end the war on Gaza and promote justice.”

The head of the Catholic Church has frequently condemned Israel’s war in Gaza, at one time calling it “immoral.” He has also met with the families of several Israelis who were taking hostage by Hamas on October 7, 2023 and whose bodies were later recovered in Gaza. He has called for the return of the remaining hostages and met with a group who were freed last month. >> Read More