VATICAN CITY (CNS): Pope John Paul II has expressed his relief that the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem has finally been ‘restored to God and the faithful’ after a 39-day stand-off between Palestinian gunmen and Israeli soldiers.
The Pope, speaking at a noon blessing on May 12, offered thanks to all those who helped make sure that ‘this holy place was given back its true religious identity’.
The universal message of Bethlehem is love, justice, reconciliation and peace. On this basis, a future can be built that respects the rights of the Israeli and Palestinian populations, in mutual trust,’ he said.
On May 10, the last of a group of armed Palestinians left the basilica, where they had taken refuge from Israeli soldiers in early April.
The Vatican’s foreign minister, Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran said the ordeal in Bethlehem had underlined the importance of what the Vatican has long proposed for the Holy Land, an ‘internationally guaranteed special statute’ that would “preserve the unique and sacred character of the holy places”.
CNS in Bethlehem reported that after the siege ended dozens of volunteers and clergy spent about two hours scrubbing and cleaning the Church of the Nativity.
