At 1:30 p.m., Archbishop Pizzaballa solemnly enters Bethlehem, marking the beginning of the Christmas season in the Holy Land. Accompanied by over 30 groups of Catholic scouts, the Archbishop is welcomed in the area in front of the Basilica by the Franciscan friars of St. Catherine’s Monastery and by religious and civil representatives, including the mayor of Bethlehem. In front of the Church of the Nativity, Fr. Artemio Vitores, guardian of the Franciscan fraternity of Bethlehem, together with representatives of the Greek Orthodox and Armenian communities, await Pizzaballa, according to the Custody of the Holy Land.
+© Nadim Asfour|Custody of the Holy Land