Pope Francis sends pointed message to Israel with detail in Nativity scene

Pope Francis unveiled the Vatican’s annual nativity scene this weekend, raising a few eyebrows.

A notable addition this year was the baby Jesus in the groundbreaking scene, draped in a keffiyeh – a traditional scarf used by Palestinians as a national symbol. Jesus was born into a Jewish family in Bethlehem.

In a statement from the wheelchair-bound Pope, he also humbly asked onlookers for peace in the Middle East, weeks after calling for an investigation into what he said could be a “genocide” taking place in the Gaza Strip.

That came in response to repeated Israeli military attacks in the region – which is also considered the holy land in the Catholic faith.

On Sunday, the 87-year-old was gifted a plaque with the ‘Star of Bethlehem’ by two Palestinian children, paving the way for an impassioned speech.

In it, the leader of the Catholic Church pleaded for “Enough wars, enough violence!” after thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Basilica to watch him install 21 new cardinals the day before.

‘Do you know that one of the most profitable investments is in the arms industry? They make money to kill. But why?’ he continued, once again condemning the arms industry that he says is fueling the war effort.

‘No more wars!’ he said again – this time to cheers. As he spoke, the symbolic addition served as a poignant – yet polarizing – nod to one side’s struggle, anticipating what will happen next. the 2,023rd anniversary of Jesus Christ.

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“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will to all men,” read a message on the Bethlehem star presented to Pope Francis during the ceremony, engraved in both Latin and Arabic.

After voicing his call for an end to the violence, the 266th head of the Catholic Church paid somber tributes to the installation.

It was designed by Palestinian artists Johny Andonia and Faten Nastas Mitwasi, both from the Palestinian city of Bethlehem.

Figures of the Holy Family, meanwhile, were carved from olive wood, further connecting the scene to its place of origin.

The accompanying plaque also contained an inscription reading ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men’, again in Arabic and Latin.

The plaque and nativity scene will now remain in the Paul VI Hall, the church said – as part of several nativity scenes jointly titled ‘Nativity of Bethlehem 2024’.

It is not to be confused with the main nativity scene currently in St. Peter’s Square, which does not contain a keffiyeh.

In another controversial move, the Pope was joined on Sunday by PLO Executive Committee member Ramzi Khouri, who delivered “warm greetings” on behalf of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Abbas, the first Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, headed the PLO’s Negotiations Department before taking up his post in 2003.

The politician is now president of both the State of Palestine and the Palestinian National Authority and has since been subject to criticism for distorting Jewish history and engaging in Holocaust denial.

Just last year, the 89-year-old claimed in a speech later condemned by the US, European Union, France and Germany that Hitler killed Jews because of their “social role” as moneylenders, and not out of anti-Semitism.

He further claimed that Ashkenazi Jews are descendants of Khazars – an obscure warlike tribe in Turkistan that fought the Arabs from the 600s onwards.

Abbas’ comments caused Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo to revoke the Medal of the City she gave him in 2015 – just a month before the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack that killed more than 1,200 people and killed 251 were taken hostage.

Khouri, in turn, reportedly expressed “deep gratitude for the Pope’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause and his tireless efforts to end the war on Gaza and promote justice.”

Meanwhile, Pope Francis last month in a collection of interviews by author Hernán Reyes Alcaide called for an investigation into what he described as a potential “genocide” unfolding in the Gaza Strip.

“According to some experts, what is happening in Gaza has the hallmarks of a genocide,” Pope Francis told Reyes in his part of the book “Hope Never Disappoints.”

“It must be carefully examined to determine whether it fits the technical definition formulated by legal experts and international bodies,” the Pope continued, making history as the first pope to openly consider the possibility of genocide in the war-torn torn country.

Two months earlier, he appeared to suggest that the size of Israeli defenses in Lebanon and Gaza may be out of proportion to the threat to the country.

In response to the statement in the book, Yaron Sideman, Israel’s ambassador to the Church’s central government in the Vatican, posted to [Oct. 7] of Israeli citizens,

“And since then, Israel has been exercising its right to self-defense against attempts by seven different fronts to kill its citizens,” the ambassador added.

The Palestinian Community of Rome, meanwhile, had a different view, saying in its own statement: “Pope Francis has consistently expressed concern about Palestinian suffering and called for respect for international law.”