This weekend Pope Francis presided over the unveiling of a nativity scene in the Vatican featuring a baby Jesus lying on a keffiyeh, the traditional Palestinian scarf used as a national symbol.
I greet “the representation of the Embassy of the State of Palestine, tormented Palestine, which has come to present, on behalf of the City of Bethlehem, this ‘Nativity,’ created by the craftsmen of Bethlehem,” the pontiff said in his address.
“I extend a cordial welcome to the civil and ecclesiastical Authorities present, in particular the Special Representatives of the president of Palestine, Mr. Mahmoud Abbas – he has come here several times,” the pope added.
Before this Nativity display, “let us remember the brothers and sisters who, instead, right there and in other parts of the world, are suffering from the tragedy of war,” he said. “With tears in our eyes, let us raise our prayer for peace. Brothers and sisters, enough war, enough violence!”
The keffiyeh-draped crèche, which is displayed in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, is one of a series of nativity scenes collectively titled “Nativity of Bethlehem 2024,” designed by artists Johny Andonia and Faten Nastas Mitwasi, both Palestinians from Bethlehem.
The creation and display of the nativity scene were organized by the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine, an organ of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), and the Palestinian embassy to the Vatican, along with several local institutions in Bethlehem.
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