Bethlehem

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'Tonight, Our Hearts Are in Bethlehem'
Pope: 'Our Hearts
Are in Bethlehem'
UPDATED
Dec 25, 2023 6:34 AM CST

Pope: 'Our Hearts Are in Bethlehem'

Pope Francis laments victims of Israel-Hamas war in Christmas address

(Newser) - Pope Francis continued his theme about the tragedy of war in his Christmas Day message, denouncing the "instruments of death" that fuel such conflicts, reports the AP . Speaking from St. Peter's Basilica, the pope said he grieved both the "abominable attack" by Hamas on Israeli civilians in...

Usually Bustling Bethlehem 'Like a Desert' This Christmas

Amid the Israeli-Hamas war, festivities have been canceled

(Newser) - For many, the thought of Bethlehem at Christmastime conjures idyllic images, perhaps of a baby sleeping soundly in a manger or of a towering tree decorated in lights. But "Bethlehem is not a fairy-tale town," Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac, a pastor at the Palestinian city's Evangelical Lutheran...

The Holy Land Cans Christmas Festivities

With a war raging, church leaders in Jerusalem, Bethlehem say it's no time to celebrate

(Newser) - Each year around Christmas, a tree is set up, lights are strung, and a nativity scene is arranged in Bethlehem's Manger Square, home of the 6th-century Church of the Nativity, which is said to mark the spot where Jesus Christ was born. There will be none of that this...

In Little Town of Bethlehem, a Muted Christmas Begins

Biblical city celebrates under the shadow of COVID for the second year in a row

(Newser) - The biblical town of Bethlehem marked its second straight Christmas Eve under the shadow of the coronavirus—with small crowds and gray, gloomy weather dampening celebrations Friday in the traditional birthplace of Jesus. A ban on nearly all incoming air traffic by Israel— the main entry point for foreign visitors...

Jeopardy! Producers: Bethlehem Question Shouldn't Have Aired

They say wrong version of game show was sent to TV stations

(Newser) - Producers of the game show Jeopardy! have apologized for a clue that waded into political hot water involving Israeli control of the West Bank, saying an incorrect version of the show was sent to television stations, the AP reports. A game shown last Friday asked contestants to identify the location...

In Bethlehem, No Room at the Inns, Again

As Christmas descends, pilgrims crowd West Bank town where they believe Jesus Christ was born

(Newser) - "All hotels in the city are full today," says Palestinian Tourism Minister Rula Maaya as thousands of Christian pilgrims descended on the West Bank town of Bethlehem, the traditional birthplace of Jesus, ahead of Tuesday's annual Christmas Eve celebrations. The Church of the Nativity, where Christians believe...

Politically Charged Nativity Scene Appears in Bethlehem

A Banksy piece is displayed at the Walled Off Hotel

(Newser) - The mysterious street artist known as Banksy has displayed a politically charged Nativity scene in Bethlehem, the town revered as Jesus' birthplace, just in time for the busy Christmas season, the AP reports. The artwork, named "Scar of Bethlehem," depicts the birth of Jesus under Israel's West...

'Original' Jesus Relic Arrives in Bethlehem

The pope returns it, 1,400 years later

(Newser) - A tiny wooden relic that some Christians believe to be part of Jesus' manger arrived Saturday in its permanent home in the biblical city of Bethlehem 1,400 years after it was sent to Rome as a gift to the pope, the AP reports. Sheathed in an ornate case, the...

Not So Silent Night in Bethlehem
Not So Silent Night
in Bethlehem
Dec 25, 2018 5:35 AM CST

Not So Silent Night in Bethlehem

Biblical city hosts largest Christmas celebration in years

(Newser) - Pilgrims from around the world flocked to Bethlehem on Monday for what was believed to be the West Bank city's largest Christmas celebrations in years. Hundreds of locals and visitors milled in Manger Square as bagpipe-playing Palestinian Scouts paraded past a giant Christmas tree. Crowds flooded the Church of...

Security Forces Clash With Santas in Bethlehem

Christians join protest against Jerusalem move

(Newser) - Peace on earth and goodwill once again seem to be in short supply in Bethlehem, where Palestinian protesters dressed as Santa Claus clashed with Israeli security forces in the historical birthplace of Jesus Saturday. Israeli soldiers used tear gas and stun grenades to push back the Santas, who were protesting...

In Restive Bethlehem, an Uneasy Christmas

Fighting casts a pall on West Bank town as it celebrates signature holiday

(Newser) - Christian faithful from around the world on Thursday descended on the biblical city of Bethlehem for Christmas Eve celebrations at the traditional birthplace of Jesus, trying to lift spirits on a holiday dampened by months of Israeli-Palestinian violence. The fighting cast a pall. Crowds were thin and hotel rooms were...

Tunnel to Be Built Under Nativity Site?

Traffic-clogged Bethlehem eyes passage beneath Nativity Church

(Newser) - O' little town of Bethlehem is dealing with a problem that typically plagues big cities: traffic. Though it claims just 28,000 residents, its small streets make for a traffic nightmare, and the lanes around Nativity Church, which marks the spot where tradition says Jesus was born, are no exception....

West Bank Land Seizure Is Israel's Biggest in Decades

Appropriation seen as revenge for murder of Israeli teens

(Newser) - In a move the US calls "counterproductive," Israel has made a huge land seizure in the West Bank and is expected to use it to expand Jewish settlements. The Israeli anti-settlement group Americans for Peace Now says the 990-acre seizure in an area called the Etzion bloc—one...

Abbas, Peres Accept Francis' Invite to Pray

Pope makes a breakthrough in visit to Bethlehem

(Newser) - The offices of the Israeli and Palestinian presidents are confirming that they have accepted an invitation from Pope Francis to visit the Vatican together next month. At the end of an open-air Mass in the biblical town of Bethlehem today, Francis invited the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to the Vatican...

Pope Will Head to Holy Land

Francis announces his 1st trip abroad for new year

(Newser) - Pope Francis has announced that he will travel to Israel, the West Bank and Jordan May 24-26. The visit marks the pope's first trip to the Holy Land and is so far his only foreign travel planned for 2014. Francis told people gathered in the rain for his weekly...

In the Holy Land, Attempts to Revive Jesus' Language

Schools in two villages teaching Aramaic

(Newser) - In two Holy Land villages—and, randomly, Sweden—efforts are being made to revive Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke that has been almost dead for centuries. The Palestinian village of Beit Jala, near Bethlehem, and the Arab-Israeli village of Jish, in the Galilean hills where Jesus taught, were both inspired...

Israelis Unearth Ancient Bethlehem Seal

Oldest reference to city found outside of the Bible

(Newser) - Israeli archaeologists have discovered a 2,700-year-old seal that bears the inscription "Bethlehem," the Israel Antiquities Authority announced yesterday, in what experts believe to be the oldest artifact with the name of Jesus' traditional birthplace. The tiny clay seal's existence and age provide vivid evidence that Bethlehem...

Rival Monks in Broom Brawl at Christ's Birthplace

Annual cleaning ignites tensions

(Newser) - Not a very nice birthday present for Jesus: Dozens of rival monks brawled at his birthplace today, as the feuding clergy members were performing an annual cleaning of the holy spot. The Church of the Nativity, built over the site where Jesus is believed to have been born in Bethlehem,...

Christians Usher in Christmas
 Christians Usher in Christmas 
Dec 25, 2011 6:53 AM CST

Christians Usher in Christmas

Pope calls for peace in Syria, pilgrims gather in Bethlehem, and NORAD's phone rings off the hook

(Newser) - Pope Benedict called for an end to the violence in Syria and urged Christians to "see through the superficial glitter" as he led the celebration of Christmas in his annual Urbi et Orbi address. "May the Lord bring an end to the violence in Syria, where much blood...

O Little Town of Bethlehem, Packed With Tourists

Faithful flock to Church of the Nativity

(Newser) - There wasn't any room at the inns today as thousands of faithful thronged the streets of Bethlehem to worship at Christ's biblical birthplace. Visitors snapped photos at the 50-foot-tall Christmas tree at Manger Square and received blessings from Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal, the head of the Catholic Church...

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