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CV NEWS FEED // The Christians in Bethlehem are struggling to maintain their presence in the town of Christ’s birth and to support their families in the midst of the ongoing war between Israel and Palestine.
The Franciscans of the Holy Land have the care of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, which houses the site of Christ’s birth. Fr. David Grenier, OFM, is a member of the order and recently shared with CatholicVote the current plight of the Christian families who live in Bethlehem.
CatholicVote: The Franciscans of the Holy Land have the care of many significant churches in Israel and Palestine like the Holy Sepulchre and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. What is your role within the Order here in Washington, D.C.?
Fr. David Grenier, OFM: I am the Commissary of the Holy Land for the United States. The first Commissaries of the Holy Land appeared in 1421, more than 600 years ago, to help build bridges between the Holy Land and the countries where they are. This includes organizing pilgrimages and looking for funds to support our activities in the Holy Land to maintain the shrines of Christianity and take care of the local Christian community.
CV: The town of Bethlehem has been home to many Christians since the time of Christ. What impact has the present war between Israel and Hamas had on the families that live there? How many families have fled since the start of the war, and how many remain? How safe are the roads to Bethlehem?
Fr. Grenier: Most of the local Christians that go to our parishes are Palestinians. This is the case for our Christians in Bethlehem. For them, the situation is very difficult.
More than 90% of the Christians in Bethlehem normally work in the pilgrimage industry — in restaurants, hotels, gift shops, in the sanctuaries or as guides, etc. For two years during the pandemic there was no work because there were no pilgrims. They were starting to reimburse their debt when the war started, and for more than a year now many of our Christian families have been without revenue. We try to help and support them as much as we can. Despite this, many get discouraged.
Some months ago, the Custos of the Holy Land, Fr. Francesco Patton, had a meeting with the Catholic youth of the city. There were about 500 young men and women who participated. The first question that they asked him is: “Can you give us one good reason to stay here?” For many, this is the state of mind in which they are. Since the beginning of the war, more than 90 Christian families have left Bethlehem.
Those remaining often need help for everything: with medicine, with financial support for surgeries, even for food. Most families don’t have money for tuition for their children, so churches try to support them there as well.
In addition, there are safety issues as well. The dangers inside the city of Bethlehem are limited, but people are afraid to go out of the city to, for example, Jericho or to other places in the West Bank, because there is always the risk that they will be attacked by settlers. So, many people do not dare to go out of the city anymore.
The wall separating Israel and Palestine also passes through Bethlehem and since the beginning of the war very few permits were given to Bethlehemites to go to Israel. And so, the residents mainly stay in the city. Many of those who were working in Jerusalem, which is only about seven miles away, lost their jobs because they cannot cross through the checkpoint anymore.
CV: How many Christian families remain in Bethlehem?
Fr. Grenier: Around 1,450 Catholic families are still in Bethlehem. In the 1990s, about 80% of the population of Bethlehem was Christian. Today, it’s around 16-17%. For example, there is a city in Chile where you have today more Christians from Bethlehem than there are Christians remaining in Bethlehem. Families who leave now mainly go to the U.S. or Europe.
CV: What kind of work is available for Christians in Bethlehem? Have they been excluded from certain kinds of industry?
Fr. Grenier: In addition to the persons involved in the pilgrimages, some residents from Bethlehem were working in the construction industry, mostly for Israeli companies. Since the beginning of the war, Israel decided to give visas to foreigners to replace them since many Israeli companies don’t want to hire Palestinians anymore. In a few months, Israel had given more than 10,000 visas to people from India to come to work in that industry, leaving many people in Bethlehem jobless.
And since the pilgrimage industry is completely stopped at the moment, the sources of revenue are sparse for the families. There are very few opportunities for work in Bethlehem outside these two sectors, so it becomes very difficult for the families to sustain themselves by their own means.
CV: How many churches do the Franciscans of the Holy Land take care of in the Bethlehem area?
Fr. Grenier: As Franciscans of the Holy Land, we are responsible for several shrines in the region of Bethlehem. There is, of course, the Basilica of the Nativity, that we share together with the Greek Orthodox and the Armenian Churches. We also have the parish church of St. Catherine, and the chapel of St. Francis, that are neighbors to the Basilica and the Nativity Grotto.
We take care of the shrine of the Milk Grotto, which according to tradition is where the magi came to visit the Holy Family and where Joseph had his dream that he had to flee to Egypt. We are responsible, too, for the Shepherds’ Field, where the angels appeared to the shepherds on Christmas night. That is about 30 minutes, by walk, from the Nativity Grotto.
To take care of these shrines, we have 15 friars living there. More or less, half of them are priests.
CV: Has the war affected the liturgies and Masses in the place of Christ’s birth? What Christmas liturgies and Masses are conducted there?
Fr. Grenier: The war has not stopped liturgies; in fact, they have increased. People feel the need even more to come gather and pray in a community and to ask for support from the Lord.
As for Christmas: at the beginning of Advent, there was a solemn entrance by the Custos of the Holy Land, the Franciscan in charge of the Holy Places for the Holy See. For two days, prayers, processions and a Mass animated the Church of St. Catherine and the Grotto of the Nativity.
On Christmas Eve, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa will also make a solemn entrance into the city of Bethlehem, where he will be received by the local civil and religious authorities. After the entrance of the Patriarch, in the afternoon, there will be a procession to the Grotto of the Nativity.
In the evening, the midnight Mass will be attended by a large number of faithful, President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas, and several consuls and diplomats. The celebration will be broadcast globally.
At the end of the celebration, the Patriarch goes in procession with the baby Jesus, who will be laid into the manger in the Nativity Grotto, where He will remain until the Feast of the Epiphany. And, on that day, the Grotto of the Nativity, which is normally shared with the Greek and the Armenian Churches will be fully reserved for the Catholics, so different groups will celebrate the Mass there throughout the day, starting at midnight with a Mass presided over by the parish priest of Bethlehem.
On that night, celebrations will also take place in Shepherds’ Field for those who cannot attend the Mass at the Basilica of the Nativity due to the limited space. When the pilgrims are present, we may have at Shepherds’ Field eight Masses at the same time every hour from 5 p.m. to midnight. This year will, of course, be a little less crowded, but beautiful liturgies will still take place to celebrate the coming of Our Lord and the peace that He promises through the angels to people of goodwill.
This interview was edited for brevity and clarity.
