WEST BANK: Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem leads Christmas morning mass in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, revered as the birthplace of Jesus.

Record ID: 564826

  • Title: WEST BANK: Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem leads Christmas morning mass in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, revered as the birthplace of Jesus.
  • Date: 25th December 2013
  • Summary: BETHLEHEM, WEST BANK (DECEMBER 25, 2013) (REUTERS) SUN RISING OVER CHURCH AS BELLS RING VARIOUS OF CHURCH BELLS RINGING CLERGY WALKING THROUGH CHURCH AS CHOIR SINGS STATUE OF MARY, MOTHER OF JESUS VARIOUS OF LATIN PATRIARCH ARCHBISHOP FOUAD TWAL AND CLERGY WALKING IN CHURCH AS CHOIR SINGS GOLDEN CROSS HELD ALOFT IN CHURCH SCULPTURE OF JESUS ON CROSS IN CHURCH WORSHIPPERS IN CHURCH WATCHING MASS SCULPTURE OF BABY JESUS ON CHURCH ALTAR TWAL APPROACHING ALTAR, BOWING AND WAVING INCENSE BURNER NUNS SINGING IN CHURCH TWAL PERFORMING THE SIGN OF THE CROSS AS HE READS FROM PRAYER BOOK WORSHIPPERS WATCHING MASS AND RECITING PRAYERS TWAL AND CLERGY PERFORMING MASS AS WORSHIPPERS WATCH ORGAN PIPES AND SCULPTURE OF JESUS ON CROSS IN CHURCH TWAL AND CLERGY CLASPING HANDS TOGETHER AND PRAYING
  • Embargoed: 9th January 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: West bank
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Topics: People,Religion
  • Reuters ID: LVA8T9YEL1JB24OZAWUPTVE24C0M
  • Story Text: Hundreds attended on Wednesday (December 25) morning mass prayers in Bethlehem, the town revered by Christians as the birthplace of Jesus.
    The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Archbishop Fouad Twal led the prayers.
    Over 50,000 local and foreign visitors were expected in Bethlehem this Christmas, the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism said.
    The tourist industry in Bethlehem has been consistently on the rise in recent years and 2013 is expected to bring even better results.
    During the height of the intifada, or Palestinian uprising against Israel, many tourists avoided the town. Israel's 2002 siege of the Church of the Nativity, where militants took sanctuary during the uprising, deterred many from visiting.
    But violence has fallen dramatically in recent years and more than two million people now visit Bethlehem every year.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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