The Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem overshadowed by ‘Gaza armed conflict’declared Pope Francis, while the Ukrainians celebrate Christmas for the first time on December 25in sync with the countries of the West, defying Russia.

“Our hearts, this evening, are in Bethlehem, where the prince of peace is once again rejected by the failed logic of war, with the armed conflict that, even today, prevents him from finding a place in the world,” the pope said. yesterday at the Christmas Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.

Christianity’s holy site, the city of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, was empty of pilgrims this year, while most Christmas celebrations were canceled due to the war in the Gaza Strip.

“There are many who die for this land, it’s very difficult to celebrate something when our people are dying,” said Nicole Nazar, an 18-year-old student, in the – deserted – Manger Square.

In front of the Basilica of the Nativity, no manger was erected this year: Mary and Joseph are represented by gray statues, among debris, behind barbed wire fences.

Even in the streets of Syrian cities under government control, the mood is not festive this year: the large churches are limited to prayers in solidarity with the victims of the conflict in Gaza.

Ukrainians are in sync with the West

Almost two years after Russia invaded their country, Ukrainian Orthodox have been attending religious services since last night as they celebrate Christmas on December 25, the same date as the Western world, for the first time in their history, in a sign of defying the Moscow.

“We pray for the end of the war. We pray for victory,” said President Volodymyr Zelensky. “For peace, for justice,” he declared in front of the magnificent monastery that hosted until the end of 2022 the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which had not yet become independent from Moscow.

It is the first time in Ukraine’s modern history that Orthodox believers celebrate Christmas in sync with Catholics, as well as Orthodox in Greece, Romania and Bulgaria, on December 25 and not on January 7 as was customary until now. The Russian Orthodox Church follows the old Julian calendar for religious holidays.

In July, Volodymyr Zelensky formalized the move of Christmas celebrations from January 7 to December 25, a decision as part of Ukraine’s moves to distance itself even further from Russia.

Santa’s journey

In Turkey, at the site of the Antiochian Orthodox Church, which was destroyed when the February 6 earthquake swept the southern part of the country, the authorities preferred to play it safe and hold the Nativity service in the afternoon, as the situation in the city it is still almost chaotic.

To help the planet forget, for a day, the painful situation internationally shortly before the end of the year, Santa Claus started his “journey” yesterday, under the surveillance of the American armed forces, who in the ten-year tradition of transmitting information for his movements every year on December 24th.

Starting from his base at the North Pole, his sleigh flew over Asia, Israel, the Gaza Strip, Africa, Antarctica before moving through South America and heading to the US, handing out 100,000 gifts along the way per second, according to the US-Canada Military Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

In other positive news: in Sri Lanka’s prisons, notorious for overcrowding, 1,004 inmates received a presidential pardon over Christmas.