Bethlehem, the biblical birthplace of Jesus, continues to feel the economic impact of the pandemic since essentially shutting down on March 5, 2020. After a quiet Christmas season that featured toned-down Mass celebrations and empty streets and shops, the city hopes things will turn around by next year.
The year, the Christmas tradition of the Peace Light of Bethlehem continues, despite COVID-19 restrictions and border and church closures.
Called the Peace Light, the candle traveled thousands of miles from Bethlehem via Austria for an arrival ceremony at Our Lady of the Skies Chapel in Terminal 4.
Staten Island state Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis, who was the GOP’s mayoral candidate in 2017, spoke out against persecution against Christians in the Middle East after she returned from a trip to the Holy Land and learned about the situation there firsthand.
December, when all eyes are on the baby Jesus, the Holy Land Family Hospital of Bethlehem wants others to think about modern-day babies in the city in the West Bank where the Gospel says Christ was born.
Palestinians leaders called for three days of protests following U.S. President Donald Trump’s Dec. 6 official recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and demonstrations have broken out in the West Bank, Jordan and other parts of the Muslim world.
Dear Editor: I was very pleased to read the article (Dec. 2), “Scouts Bring Peace Light to Diocese from Bethlehem,” except for one glaring phrase.
