Christmas Mass at Bethlehem's Church of Nativity

The top Catholic clergyman in the Holy Land held a Christmas morning Mass at Bethlehem’s Church of Nativity on Sunday, following a day of celebrations in the city’s Manger Square.

Hundreds of churchgoers attended the service which was led by Latin Patriarch PierbattistaPizzaballa.On Saturday, the biblical town of Bethlehem marked a merry Christmas with thousands of visitors descending upon the traditional birthplace of Jesus as it rebounds from the coronavirus pandemic.

Although the numbers have not reached pre-pandemic levels, the return of visitors has palpably raised spirits in Bethlehem.