A Nativity scene displayed at the Vatican that depicted the infant Jesus resting upon a Palestinian keffiyeh has now been removed after causing significant controversy.
When the scene was unveiled on 7 December in the Vatican’s Paul VI audience hall, the placing of the infant Jesus upon a piece of cloth that serves as the traditional Palestinian head dress lead many to interpret the gesture as a political statement on the part of the Holy See. The black-and-white chequered keffiyeh is widely seen as a pro-Palestinian symbol.
The Nativity scene, designed by two artists from the Dar al-Kalima University in Bethlehem, was described by the <em>Palestine Chronicle</em> as “a poignant nod to the Palestinian struggle", yet received blowback from the Israeli and Jewish communities.
The backlash began after the Pope on 7 December met with the donors of this year’s Christmas tree and Nativity scene displayed in St. Peter’s Square.
During Saturday’s audience, the Pope called for an end to war and conflict, asking believers to “remember the brothers and sisters, who, right there [in Bethlehem] and in other parts of the world, are suffering from the tragedy of war”.
“Enough war, enough violence!” he said, while lamenting the commercial arms trade and describing how the weapons industry “earns money to kill”.
Called the “Nativity of Bethlehem 2024", the scene was displayed in the Vatican’s Paul VI audience hall and was designed by Palestinian artists Johny Andonia and Faten Nastas Mitwasi, standing nearly 10 feet tall and crafted from olive trees in the Holy Land.
Its creation and donation to the Vatican was organised by the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine, an entity of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, as well as by the Palestinian Embassy to the Holy See and several other local organisations in Bethlehem.
Ramzi Khouri, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) executive committee, in a press release conveyed the “warm greetings” of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and 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”.
But objections to the scene included the historical contradictions in how this particular Nativity was depicted. Referring to Jesus’s own historical Jewish roots – having been born to Jewish parents in what was then the Roman province of Judea – one online commentator wrote, “Does the pope think Jesus wasn’t a Jew either? Did he even read the Bible?”
Another discontented observer said on social media platform <em>X</em> that, “The Pope is exploiting Christmas to advance the ridiculous effort to rebrand Jesus as Palestinian rather than what He was – a Jew who fulfilled the Old Testament prophecy of a Messiah.”
Pope Francis has repeatedly condemned the war in Gaza since it erupted following the 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas militants on Israel, leaving around 1,200 people dead and over 250 others taken as hostages.
So far, the subsequent violence after Israel launched its counter offensive has led to the deaths of over 40,000 people and has caused massive damage to the infrastructure in Gaza, including its healthcare system, while access to humanitarian aid remains limited.
The Pope at times has referred to the war as “immoral”, and top aides have questioned Israel’s retaliation, calling its military response disproportionate.
Last month, excerpts were published from a book containing interviews with the Pope that will be published in the new year by <em>La Stampa</em> in which Francis referred to the war in Gaza as a “genocide”.
In the excerpts, the Holy Father called for an investigation to determine whether Israel’s actions in Gaza can be classed as genocide, while in November the United Nations Special Committee announced that it had found Israel’s actions in Gaza to be consistent with genocide.
Pope Francis, who has also met with the families of Israeli hostages and repeatedly called for their immediate release, has also criticised Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon as going “beyond morality”.
The controversial Nativity scene, which has now been removed from the Paul VI audience hall, consisted of an intimate scene comprising the figures of the infant Jesus resting in a manger in front of his parents Mary and Joseph, carved from a single olive tree.
Carving statues and religious scenes from olive wood has been a pillar of the Holy Land’s economic and cultural identity for centuries.
The Star of Bethlehem that hung above the scene was made from mother of pearl and encircled by an inscription in both Latin and Arabic reading: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill to all people.”
Sheep in the scene are handmade with felted wool by children from Ma’n Lilhayt, a Catholic charity providing employment opportunities for disabled individuals.
A Vatican spokesman did not respond to a <em>Crux</em> request for comment on the presence of the Nativity scene in the Paul VI Hall, and whether it represented a political statement on the part of the Holy See.
<em>Photo: Pope Francis prays before the “Nativity of Bethlehem 2024” in the Paul VI Hall, Vatican, Vatican City State, 7 December 2024. (Credit: Vatican Media, via Crux.)</em>
