Leaders of Christian churches in the Holy Land have published a joint Christmas message, announcing the joyful news of the Nativity and calling for an end to hostilities across the region.
“In the midst of these dark days of continued conflict and uncertainty in our region, we, the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem, remain steadfast in proclaiming to our local congregations and the world at large the eternal Christmas message of the True Light. that shines in the darkness: the birth of Our Lord Jesus in Bethlehem,” reads the message of December 13.
Receive the main news from ACI Prensa by WhatsApp and Telegram
It is increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social media. Subscribe to our free channels today:
“For at the birth of Christ,” they wrote, “the light of God’s salvation first came into the world, illuminating all who received it, then as now, and offering them ‘grace upon grace’ to overcome the evils.” dark forces of evil that conspire incessantly to bring about the destruction of God’s creation.”
Invoking the spirit of Christmas, leaders of the Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Syriac, Armenian and other churches thanked God for the recent ceasefire on the Lebanese front of the Israeli conflict.
The message further urged that the same spirit “spread to Gaza and many other places, ending the wars that have plagued our part of the world.”
The leaders also called for the release of all captives, the return of the displaced, the treatment of the sick and injured, the reconstruction of institutions and the restitution of property unjustly confiscated or threatened.
Currently, the Israel-Gaza front of the Middle East conflict remains deadlocked as Palestinian health officials led by Hamas claim more than 45,000 victims in Gaza since the start of the war on October 7, 2023.
Additionally, Christians in neighboring Syria now face greater uncertainty after jihadist rebel forces quickly overthrown to the government of President Bashaar al-Assad earlier this month.
“Despite suffering many difficulties, (the early Christians) continued to transmit the holy light of the resurrection of Christ, becoming his witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout the Holy Land and to the ends of the earth,” the leaders noted.
Likewise, the Jerusalem church leaders continued, “this ancient path of redemption leads us back to our time, when wars still rage and millions of people in our region and around the world continue to suffer painfully.”
“Externally, little appears to have changed,” the letter said. “Yet, within, the sacred birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ sparked a spiritual revolution that continues to transform countless hearts and minds toward the paths of justice, mercy and peace.”
The patriarchs and heads of the churches of Jerusalem called on all Christians during the Christmas season and beyond to pray and work for peace “both in the homeland of Christ and wherever there are conflicts and strife.”
“By doing so together,” they wrote, “we will truly honor the Prince of Peace who was born so humbly in a stable in Bethlehem more than two millennia ago.”
Translated and adapted by the ACI Prensa team. Originally published in CNA.
Low tide Elhabbal
Madalaine Elhabbal is a CNA journalist based in EWTN’s Washington DC bureau. She has published articles on CatholicVote and has also worked as a foreign language assistant in France. She is a graduate of Benedictine College.