VATICAN: Christmas festivities began Friday, with hundreds of millions across the world under coronavirus restrictions celebrating a pared-down version of a holiday typically marked by travel and large gatherings. Pope Francis, spiritual leader of 1.3 billion Catholics across the globe, celebrated Christmas Eve mass in St Peter’s Basilica before fewer than 200 masked faithful, mostly employees of the tiny state of Vatican City. On Thursday evening, St Peter’s Square, usually thronged with people on Christmas Eve was deserted, illuminated by the glow of its towering Christmas tree and the lights of a police car. The Christmas Eve mass commemorates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth in Bethlehem. The Christmas Eve mass at the Church of the Nativity is traditionally the highlight of a holiday season that sees hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to the Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank.

Source: Manila Times December 25, 2020 06:33 UTC