Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation and Christmas tree in Nazareth, Israel / Adobe Stock
CV NEWS FEED // After requesting the opposite last year out of solidarity with those suffering from the war, the Catholic churches in Jerusalem this year are recommending their communities put up Christmas decorations and lights as public signs of Christian hope.
The request last year to forego decorations and festivities was well-intentioned, but misconstrued, the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem, led by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, explained in a Nov. 22 statement.
Last year, “many around the world nevertheless misinterpreted this call to signify a ‘Cancellation of Christmas’ in the Holy Land — the very place of our Lord’s Holy Nativity,” they said. “Because of this, our unique witness to the Christmas message of light emerging out of darkness (John 1:9) was diminished not only around the world, but also among our own people.”
“For this reason,” they continued, “for the coming Advent and Christmas seasons, we encourage our congregations and people to fully commemorate the approach and arrival of Christ’s birth by giving public signs of Christian hope.”
The church leaders also asked that participation in these public displays be done in a way that is mindful of the suffering that millions in the region continue to experience.
“These should certainly include upholding them continuously in our prayers, reaching out to them with deeds of kindness and charity, and welcoming them as Christ himself has welcomed each of us (Romans 15:7),” they said.
They concluded by referring to the message of hope shared at the beginning of the Gospel of Luke: “In these ways, we will echo the Christmas story itself, where the angels announced to the shepherds glad tidings of Christ’s birth in the midst of similarly dark times in our region (Luke 2:8–20), offering to them and to the entire world a message of divine hope and peace.”
