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Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Road to Betlehem

Pilgrims flock to Bethlehem for Christmas | World Breaking News | News.com.au
BRAVING chilly temperatures and brisk winds, thousands of Christian faithful have flocked to Bethlehem to celebrate Christmas in the traditional birthplace of Jesus.

The pilgrims, returning in the largest numbers yet since the start in 2000 of the Palestinian uprising, brought a strong dose of Christmas cheer to the city in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

But the faithful also came face to face with the stark reality of a troubled region, in the shape of an eight-metre high concrete wall - part of Israel's separation barrier - just a few hundred metres from the spot where Christians believe their Prince of Peace was born.

Visitors travelling from Jerusalem, just a few kilometres away, pass the wall through Israeli checkpoints.

Pilgrims who made their way to Bethlehem in their thousands in the past few days milled around Manger Square just outside the Church of the Nativity, where a grotto marks the location of the stable where Jesus was said to be born.

"It is really very special to be in Bethlehem on the day we celebrate Christmas, it is a very emotional moment,'' said Eduardo Robles Gil, a Mexican priest who was on a pilgrimage with his family.

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