Archbishop Pizzaballa leads X-mas Mass in Bethlehem

The pandemic and a strict lockdown have dampened Christmas celebrations this year in Bethlahem the birthplace of Jesus Christ. However, Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa led the Christmas Day Mass on Friday at the Church of the Nativity.

Bethlehem:Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa led the Christmas Day Mass on Friday in Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, as the biblical city celebrated the holiday in a subdued atmosphere.

The sound of the choral singing filled the church, which was missing the pilgrims who normally attend but could not do so this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The pandemic and a strict lockdown have dampened celebrations this year, in the traditional birthplace of Jesus.

Thousands of foreign pilgrims usually flock to Bethlehem for the celebrations.

But the closure of Israel’s international airport to foreign tourists, along with Palestinian restrictions banning intercity travel in the areas they administer in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, kept visitors away.

AP