This Saturday afternoon, the procession of the Custodian of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Patton, arrived in Bethlehem from Jerusalem, marking the beginning of the religious rites of the glorious Christmas holidays and the feast of Saint Catherine, the patron saint of the Latin parish, which falls tomorrow.

The procession, which set off from the Church of the Monastery of the Savior of the Franciscan Fathers in Jerusalem and reached the Monastery of Mar Elias, was received by the Deputy Custos of the Holy Land, the Protocol Officer, and the Franciscan Representative in Palestine, Father Ibrahim Faltas, the Mayor of Beit Jala, Issa Qassis, and the priest of the Latin Parish in Beit Jala, Hanna Salem.

The procession then set off, accompanied by a number of dignitaries and parishioners, to the Paradise area, passing through the Catholic Action Roundabout, Ras Aftis and Al-Najma Streets, and arriving at Manger Square, where it was officially received on the Manger Square’s pavement, led by Bethlehem Governor Mohammad Taha Abu Alia, Bethlehem Deputy Mayor Hanna Hanania, Bethlehem Police Director General Brigadier General Murad Qandah, Bethlehem District Commander Brigadier General Ibrahim Abu Kishk, dignitaries and parishioners of the Latin Parish, and a large number of students from Terra Santa School and the Mar Yousef Nuns School, who carried slogans including: “Gaza is proud and the dream continues,” and “Give us peace, give us childhood.”

After shaking hands with those who welcomed him, the procession walked on foot and entered the Church of the Nativity, then he presided over a special mass in Saint Catherine’s Church, with the participation of the parishioners.

Governor Abu Alia said, "Our message today to the world is that the land of peace is being subjected to continuous and unprecedented genocide, and all the peoples of the world must stand by our people, achieve their national goals, and obtain their just rights that are recognized by international laws."

For his part, the head of the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine, Ramzi Khoury, denounced the suspicious silence over the massacres taking place in Palestine, and the difficult circumstances that the Bethlehem Governorate, like all the governorates of the homeland, is going through, due to the ongoing aggression of the occupation against our people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

He asked, "Where are you, Christians of the world, in light of the massacres taking place in Palestine? Where is the justice that the rights holders are talking about? Where are human rights and international legitimacy?"

For his part, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Hani Al-Hayek called on the international community to assume its responsibilities towards our Palestinian people who are struggling to obtain their legitimate rights, the simplest of which is religious freedom.

Al-Hayek called for the necessity of taking a serious and immediate position to stop the war of extermination against our people in the Gaza Strip.

In turn, the Custodian of the Holy Land said, "Bethlehem is a city of sadness today, and the atmosphere of joy and happiness is absent," expressing his hope for a better future, so that everyone can live in freedom and peace.

He added, "We hope that the world will work to achieve just peace in the Holy Land, so that tranquility, joy and love may be achieved," affirming Pope Francis's saying, "With peace we win."

He also expressed his wishes that this Christmas would be the end of the war, and that everyone would live in freedom and dignity.

He said, "Our message to the world is to care and work so that the war ends, life returns again, and the Palestinian people obtain their legitimate rights, because they deserve to live in freedom, happiness, and dignity like the rest of the peoples of the world."