Joy is returning to Jerusalem as Christians mark Christmas in one of the world’s oldest cities. FRANCE 24’s Noga Tarnopolsky reports a festive atmosphere in the air, describing it as "a huge relief” after more than two years of war in Gaza.

Jerusalem

Christmas festivities have returned to Jerusalem, with large crowds gathering at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and decorations adorning the city for the first time since 2022. The previous years saw subdued celebrations due to ongoing conflict, with no public displays of joy or decorations.

Cardinal Pier Battista Pizzaballa acknowledged the continued suffering and dangers faced by Christian communities, particularly in the West Bank, but expressed hope inspired by the younger generation's efforts to rebuild. The traditional midnight mass in Bethlehem reflected this renewed sense of joy and resilience among the community.

'A huge relief': Joy returns to Jerusalem amid Christmas festivities

There was a large crowd of people aiming to get to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, one of the most important churches in all Christendom. So Jerusalem is dressed up in finery, and there is a festive feeling, which comes, I think, mostly as a huge relief. The last Christmas celebrated here was in 2022. Obviously, Christmas as a religious observance has always been celebrated, but there were no decorations, there were no public expressions of joy during the more than two years that the war was still really raging. And so slowly you do feel the sense of winter festivities and of joy returning, especially here. I'm just outside the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and everyone is gearing up for a long day in the churches in this whole Christian quarter of Jerusalem. Everything remains now lit, I would say, but muted. And the Cardinal of Jerusalem, who we just saw on screen, Pier Battista Pizzavalla, spoke very clearly a few days ago. We at France 24 spoke with him, and he described basically operating on two dual paths, open-eyed paths. He said we can't be in denial about the suffering and about the dangers that still exist, about attacks against Christian communities in the West Bank, which he mentioned specifically, a very bad period. And yet he said at the same time that he does feel filled with hope. Paradoxically, he said, of course, not the leadership, not the regional leadership, not any of it. He expressed something very close to disgust with regional leadership, but he said that the younger generation, those that seem to be getting up and acting and trying to rebuild their lives here, not just Christians, those are the ones who are filling him with hope. And that was reflected very much in his homily, the very traditional midnight mass in Bethlehem, which, again, also I think people were just elated to be able to return to that old tradition.

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