In a year that has been filled with darkness, the absence of festive lights and Christmas cheer in Bethlehem was a stark reminder of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Manger Square, typically bustling with foreign tourists and lively youth marching bands, resembled a ghost town on Christmas Eve.
The somber atmosphere was shared by Brother John Vinh, a Franciscan monk from Vietnam, who has been living in Jerusalem for six years. As he gazed at a nativity scene in Manger Square, he couldn't help but feel the weight of the thousands of children who have lost their lives in the conflict in Gaza. A baby Jesus wrapped in a white shroud stood as a poignant symbol of their tragic fate.
