Pope Francis will be celebrating Christmas Mass in Bethlehem on 26 May at the conclusion of his three-day trip to Jordan, Israel and Palestine. Fr Stéphane Milovich OFM of the Liturgical Commission explained: “As you know, at the Holy Places you can celebrate the Mass of the day that that given place commemorates. The Pope will, thus, celebrate Christmas with all of the Churches present in the Holy Land.”Catholics in the Holy Land are preparing for the papal visit, while the Vatican has denied reports that a strike by employees of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, now into its third week, could cause it to be cancelled.The Catholic ordinaries of the Holy Land announced just last week that the motto for the papal visit is Ut Unum Sint (“that they may be one”), Ch
20 March 2014, The Tablet
Letter from Rome
Get Instant Access
Continue Reading
Register for free to read this article in full
Subscribe for unlimited access
From just £30 quarterly
Complete access to all Tablet website content including all premium content.
The full weekly edition in print and digital including our 179 years archive.
PDF version to view on iPad, iPhone or computer.
Already a subscriber? Login