Leaders of Christian churches in the Holy Land call for a ceasefire in Gaza in the Christmas message

Washington, DC Newsroom, December 16, 2024 / 3:20 p.m

Leaders of Christian churches in the Holy Land have released a joint Christmas message proclaiming the joyful news of the birth of Christ and calling for an end to hostilities across the region.

“Amidst these dark days of ongoing conflict and uncertainty in our region, we, the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem, remain steadfast in proclaiming to our local communities and the world at large the eternal Christmas message of the True Light shining in the darkness: the birth of ours “Lord Jesus in Bethlehem,” says the message from December 13th.

“For in the birth of Christ,” they wrote, “the light of God’s salvation came into the world for the first time and enlightened all who would accept him then and now, offering them ‘grace upon grace’ to defeat the dark forces of evil.” Conspiring continually to bring about the destruction of God’s creation.”

Invoking the spirit of Christmas, leaders of Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Syrian, Armenian and other churches thanked God for the recent ceasefire on the Lebanese front of the Israeli conflict.

The message also urged that the same spirit be extended “to Gaza and many other places to bring an end to the wars that have plagued our part of the world.”

The leaders also called for the release of all prisoners, the return of those displaced, the treatment of the sick and wounded, the reconstruction of institutions, and the restoration of property unlawfully confiscated or threatened.

Currently, the frontline between Israel and Gaza in the Middle East conflict remains deadlocked, as Hamas-led Palestinian health authorities claim over 45,000 casualties in Gaza since the war began on October 7, 2023.

In addition, Christians in neighboring Syria now face increased insecurity after jihadist rebel forces quickly toppled President Bashaar al-Assad’s government earlier this month.

“The early Christians endured many hardships and passed on the holy light of Christ’s resurrection. They witnessed him in Jerusalem, throughout the Holy Land and to the ends of the earth,” the leaders emphasized.

In the same vein, Jerusalem church leaders continued: “This ancient path of redemption leads us to our time, when wars still rage and countless millions of people in our region and around the world continue to suffer painfully.”

“On the outside, little appears to have changed,” the letter says. “But within, the holy birth of our Lord Jesus Christ sparked a spiritual revolution that continues to transform countless hearts and minds toward the ways of justice, mercy and peace.”

The patriarchs and heads of the Jerusalem churches called on all Christians during the Christmas season and beyond to pray and work for peace, “both in the homeland of Christ and wherever there is conflict and strife.”

“For as we do this together,” they wrote, “we will indeed truly honor the Prince of Peace who was born so humbly in a stable in Bethlehem more than two millennia ago.”