The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa arrived today in the biblical city of Bethlehem in the southern West Bank, the birthplace of Jesus Christ, ushering the Christmas celebrations.

Pizzaballa headed the annual procession from the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem to Manger Square, passing as usual through a massive metal gate in the towering Israeli concrete wall that separates Bethlehem from Jerusalem.

He was welcomed at Manger Square by a host of officials and clergy ahead of the midnight mass at the Church of the Nativity, built over the grotto where Christian tradition says Jesus Christ was born.

Palestinian Christians and pilgrims will later attend midnight Mass at the 4th-Century Nativity Church, after two years of silent celebrations as a result of the pandemic.

Although numbers are still lower than the record level seen in 2019, the streets are bustling and just as in the Nativity story, there is not a room to be found, with local hotels fully booked.

Roman Catholic Christians celebrate Christmas on December 25, while Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate it on January 7. Tens of thousands of Christians from all over the world flock to Jerusalem and Bethlehem every year to participate in the celebrations at the most sacred religious sites for Christians.

Source: Palestine News & Info Agency