Pope Francis on Saturday attended the inauguration of a seasonal nativity scene, presented by Palestinian officials, that featured a baby Jesus lying on a keffiyeh, the traditional scarf used by Palestinians as a national symbol.
Speaking at the event, a wheelchair-bound Francis called on believers to “remember the brothers and sisters, who, right there [in Bethlehem] and in other parts of the world, are suffering from the tragedy of war,” adding, “enough war, enough violence!” and lamenting the existence of the commercial arms trade.
The keffiyeh-draped cradle, which will be displayed in the 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, according to Vatican News.
It is not the main nativity scene displayed in St. Peter’s Square.
Francis was also presented, by two Palestinian children, with a “Star of Bethlehem” plaque, reading “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men,” in Arabic and Latin.
The creation and display of the plaque and nativity scene were organized by the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine, an organ of the Palestine Liberation Organization, and the Palestinian embassy to the Vatican, along with several local institutions in Bethlehem.
Pope Francis presides over a mass with the new cardinals at St Peter’s Basilica in The Vatican, on December 8, 2024. (Andreas Solaro/AFP)
Joining the pope in presiding over the scene’s dedication on Sunday was PLO executive committee member Ramzi Khouri, who conveyed “warm greetings” from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Khouri expressed “deep gratitude for the pope’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause and his tireless efforts to end the war on Gaza and promote justice,” according to a PLO press release.
The unveiling of the provocative nativity scene comes after a series of statements by the pope about the ongoing war between Israel and various Iranian proxies, which have angered some Jews and Israelis.
Excerpts released last month from a book of interviews with Francis included a call by the pontiff to investigate whether Israel’s campaign against the Hamas terror group in Gaza “fits into the technical definition” of genocide.
Israel categorically rejects that characterization of its conduct in the ongoing war, which began on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, amid acts of brutality and sexual assault.
The pope has met frequently with family members of those taken hostage, and has repeatedly called for their release.
A letter he wrote to Middle Eastern Catholics on the first anniversary of the attack, however, never mentioned Hamas by name, or made explicit reference to its atrocities, including the hostages. The letter also quoted passages from the Gospel of John that have historically been used to fuel religious antisemitism.
The nativity scene is also suggestive of the trope that Jesus was a Palestinian, which drew anger from Israeli officials in 2013, when invoked by Mahmoud Abbas.
