On Friday, December 15, the Custos of the Holy Land, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, came to Bethlehem to sign, in the course of a press conference, a three-party sponsorship agreement for the Christmas celebrations. The parties to the agreement are the Municipality of Bethlehem, the Custody of the Holy Land and the Palestinian Telecommunications group, Paltal. Rest assured, it is not the liturgical celebrations that are in question but the television broadcast and retransmission rights, which the Palestinian enterprise ceded to the Custody.
In concrete terms, this will allow the Custody to transmit, on its Internet site, the live broadcast of the Christmas Mass, the technical costs being financed by the sponsor. For the Municipality, this means that again this year, and in spite of the difficulties – notably the economic ones – of the situation, it will be able to light up the city in Christmas colors, the Paltel group paying the costs of installation and electricity. With this agreement, the signatories want to demonstrate the desire for Peace that lives in them, even though the situation causes them only worry. Bethlehem wants to bear witness, to everyone and in spite of everything, to a message of hope. “In spite of the situation,” said the Custos of the Holy Land, “we can say in faith that there is always hope. We are motivated by the pilgrims, by the natives of the country, by all the visitors who expect the city to bear witness to a serenity that in this period and at this moment only Bethlehem can offer.”
To symbolize this agreement, the Custos, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and the Mayor of Bethlehem, Dr. Victor Batarseh, joined by Mr. Rafik Al Husseini, representing President Mahmoud Abbas, together pressed the button in Nativity Square that lit up the city on the first day of the Christmas novena. Everyone then adjourned to the adjacent Peace Center for light refreshment. The city is now in a holiday mood; may the situation, in turn, join the feast day of Peace.
MAB
In concrete terms, this will allow the Custody to transmit, on its Internet site, the live broadcast of the Christmas Mass, the technical costs being financed by the sponsor. For the Municipality, this means that again this year, and in spite of the difficulties – notably the economic ones – of the situation, it will be able to light up the city in Christmas colors, the Paltel group paying the costs of installation and electricity. With this agreement, the signatories want to demonstrate the desire for Peace that lives in them, even though the situation causes them only worry. Bethlehem wants to bear witness, to everyone and in spite of everything, to a message of hope. “In spite of the situation,” said the Custos of the Holy Land, “we can say in faith that there is always hope. We are motivated by the pilgrims, by the natives of the country, by all the visitors who expect the city to bear witness to a serenity that in this period and at this moment only Bethlehem can offer.”
To symbolize this agreement, the Custos, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and the Mayor of Bethlehem, Dr. Victor Batarseh, joined by Mr. Rafik Al Husseini, representing President Mahmoud Abbas, together pressed the button in Nativity Square that lit up the city on the first day of the Christmas novena. Everyone then adjourned to the adjacent Peace Center for light refreshment. The city is now in a holiday mood; may the situation, in turn, join the feast day of Peace.
MAB