黑料社

BETHLEHEM, PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES 鈥� Pope Francis on Sunday kicked off global Christmas celebrations with a call for peace, as Israel鈥檚 war on Hamas and Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine cast a shadow over one of the world鈥檚 favorite holidays.

Revelers the world over, meanwhile, donned Santa鈥檚 red caps for a shot of holiday cheer鈥攔unning a city race in Skopje, North Macedonia, surfing the waves in Florida, jogging along muddy wooded paths on the outskirts of Paris, dipping in the sea near the port of Dover, and soaking with a drink in hand in Lake Geneva.

And children around the globe tracked Santa, his reindeer, and their present-laden sleigh with the help of , a 3D interactive website run annually by a joint US-Canadian military monitoring agency.

Having said earlier in the day that he was thinking of people 鈥渨ho are suffering from war鈥攚e are thinking of Palestine, of Israel, of Ukraine,鈥� the Pope struck a somber tone during his Christmas Eve Mass.

鈥淭onight, our hearts are in Bethlehem, where the Prince of Peace is once more rejected by the futile logic of war, by the clash of arms that even today prevents him from finding room in the world,鈥� the Pope said.

鈥楬ard to celebrate鈥�

Bethlehem, the biblical city in the occupied West Bank where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born in a manger more than 2,000 years ago, effectively canceled the annual Christmas celebrations that normally draw thousands of tourists.

The town did away with its giant Christmas tree, marching bands, and flamboyant Nativity scene this year, settling for just a few festive lights.

In the center of town, a huge Palestinian flag had been unfolded with a banner declaring that 鈥淭he bells of Bethlehem ring for a ceasefire in Gaza.鈥�

鈥淎 lot of people are dying for this land,鈥� said Nicole Najjar, an 18-year-old student. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really hard to celebrate while our people are dying.鈥�

The Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, said: 鈥淲e are here to pray and to ask not only for a ceasefire, a ceasefire is not enough, we have to stop these hostilities and to turn the page because violence generates only violence.鈥�

In Syria, churches limited celebrations to prayers in solidarity with the Palestinians.

The Hamas attack on Oct. 7 left around 1,140 people dead in Israel, most of them civilians, according to an Agence France-Presse (AFP) tally based on the latest official Israeli figures.

The Palestinian militants also abducted around 250 people, 129 of whom Israel says remain in Gaza.

Israel retaliated with a sustained bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza, where 20,424 people have been killed, mostly women and children, according to the latest toll from the territory鈥檚 Hamas-run health ministry.

New Christmas Day

Ukraine, invaded by Russia nearly two years ago, is celebrating Christmas on Dec. 25 for the first time, jettisoning the traditional Orthodox date of Jan. 7, which is feted in Russia, as a snub to Moscow.

In the southern Black Sea port of Odesa, churchgoers prayed and lit candles as priests in gold vestments held Christmas Eve service in the Cathedral of the Nativity, decorated with fir trees and a Nativity scene.

鈥淲e believe that we really should celebrate Christmas with the whole world, far away, far away from Moscow. For me that鈥檚 the new message now,鈥� said one smiling parishioner, Olena, whose son is a medic on the front line.

The date change鈥攎oving away from the Julian calendar favored by the Orthodox Church鈥攊s part of moves since the invasion to remove traces of the Russian and Soviet empires.

Prayers in Turkey

In southern Turkey, much of which was devastated by an earthquake in February, some faithful celebrated Mass in front of the ruins of their church at Antakya.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important for us to celebrate the birth of Jesus. But it鈥檚 a very sad Christmas,鈥� said Vehbi Tadrasgil, 55, who lost his wife and two of his three children in the quake that killed at least 50,000 people in Turkey and more than 5,000 in neighboring Syria.

鈥淚 hope that their souls are here, I am certain that our prayers rise to them,鈥� he said.

Twenty kilometers down the coast in Samandag, a generator powered the lights on a tree in front of the Saint-Ilyas church, which survived.

鈥淎fter the earthquake, our community鈥�400 families鈥攚as annihilated. With this Christmas, we want to wish everyone rebirth, love, joy, and peace. We must move forward, rebuild a new life,鈥� said Father Yumurta.

鈥淭hey say that with the birth of the child Jesus, a new life begins, a new beginning. For us too, here, it will be a new beginning,鈥� he said.

There was little sign of Christmas cheer in Syria鈥檚 cities, where main churches have limited celebrations to prayers in solidarity with Palestinians suffering war in Gaza.

READ: Palestinians feel 鈥榥o joy鈥� as Israel bombs Gaza on Christmas听