Des appels à la paix attendus pour la première bénédiction de Noël du pape

Le pape Léon XIV doit renouveler jeudi ses appels à la paix en prononçant depuis la basilique Saint-Pierre sa première bénédiction de Noël, au terme d’une année assombrie par les conflits et polarisations politiques, mais marquée par des espoirs de paix à Gaza.L’année 2025 se termine avec des sources d’espérance pour la communauté chrétienne qui a célébré son premier Noël festif à Bethléem, en Cisjordanie occupée, depuis le début de la guerre à Gaza.Mais l’appel du souverain pontife à une trêve d’un jour dans le monde n’a pas été entendu en Ukraine, où la guerre fait rage depuis près de quatre ans, au moment où il s’apprête à prononcer, à 12H00 (11H00 GMT) sa bénédiction “Urbi et Orbi” (à la ville et au monde).Avant cette intervention très attendue, qui coïncide avec la clôture du Jubilé, “Année sainte” de l’Eglise qui a attiré des millions de pèlerins à Rome, le premier pape américain, élu en avril, a célébré mercredi soir sa première messe de Noël.Lors de cette cérémonie commémorant la naissance du Christ, il a délivré un message de “charité et d’espérance” face aux dérives d’une “économie faussée”, après être sorti sur le parvis de la place Saint-Pierre pour saluer les quelque 5.000 fidèles massés sous la pluie.Changement majeur opéré par Léon XIV: il présidera jeudi matin la messe du jour de Noël, renouant ainsi avec une tradition qui remontait au pontificat de Jean-Paul II (1978-2005).- “Joie” -A des milliers de kilomètres de là, la trêve dans la guerre à Gaza, bien que fragile, a permis le retour des célébrations festives à Bethléem, berceau du christianisme.Des centaines de fidèles se sont massés à l’approche de minuit dans la basilique de la Nativité, comble au point qu’ils étaient nombreux à être assis à même le sol.Les célébrations de Noël de ces deux dernières années y avaient été ternies par la guerre dévastatrice à Gaza déclenchée par l’attaque sans précédent du mouvement islamiste palestinien Hamas le 7 octobre 2023.Par solidarité avec les Palestiniens du territoire, les festivités avaient été annulées mais cette année, avec la trêve entrée en vigueur à Gaza en octobre, l’immense sapin de Noël s’est de nouveau illuminé devant la basilique de la Nativité, construite sur la grotte où la tradition chrétienne situe la naissance du Christ.Dans la journée, des centaines de personnes avaient envahi les rues pour assister au défilé des scouts sur l’emblématique place de la Mangeoire, entonnant des chants traditionnels.”C’est une journée pleine de joie, parce qu’avant on ne pouvait pas célébrer à cause de la guerre”, a dit à l’AFP Milagros Anstas, 17 ans, dans son uniforme bleu et jaune.- “Pouvoir de l’amour” -Comme ailleurs dans la région et au Moyen-Orient, les chrétiens représentent une minorité en Terre sainte, avec une communauté de 185.000 personnes en Israël et 47.000 dans les Territoires palestiniens.La municipalité a toutefois tenu à tempérer le faste des célébrations. Car en dépit du cessez-le-feu, les Palestiniens de Gaza restent frappés par une grave crise humanitaire.Lors de la messe, le patriarche latin de Jérusalem, le cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa a délivré lors de la messe une homélie pour la paix, l’espoir et le renouveau, face aux décisions politiques et équilibres de pouvoirs qui “semblent souvent déterminer le destin des peuples”.”Noël, cependant, nous invite à regarder au-delà de la logique de la domination, à redécouvrir le pouvoir de l’amour, de la solidarité et de la justice”, a dit le cardinal, qui avait célébré une messe à Gaza dimanche.- Politique et intempéries -Tranchant avec les discours des dirigeants religieux, Donald Trump a souhaité un joyeux Noël “à tous, y compris aux pourritures de gauche radicale”, en référence à ses opposants démocrates.Mais au-delà du climat politique électrique aux Etats-Unis depuis son retour à la Maison Blanche en janvier, ce sont des intempéries majeures qui viennent perturber les fêtes de fin d’année en Californie.Craignant de dangereuses inondations, les autorités ont décrété l’état d’urgence à Los Angeles et ordonné l’évacuation de centaines de foyers.En Australie, la fin d’année est assombrie par l’attentat antisémite de Bondi qui a fait 15 morts le 14 décembre.Dans le sud-ouest de la France, des agriculteurs mobilisés contre la grave crise frappant leur secteur ont préféré passer le réveillon en bloquant une autoroute, où des habitants leur ont apporté huîtres et bûches, plutôt qu’en famille.Ils se disent prêts à faire de même pour le Nouvel an, comme l’a assuré l’un d’eux, Frédéric Meynard: “On ne l’espère pas, mais s’il faut en arriver là on le fera”.

‘We hold onto one another and keep fighting,’ says wife of jailed Istanbul mayor

Turkish democracy has taken a heavy beating since the jailing of Istanbul’s popular opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, his wife told AFP, saying it has been painful for his family but that the ordeal has made them stronger.  “It’s an extremely difficult time for our children and for me… but we hold onto one another,” Dilek Kaya Imamoglu, 51, told AFP in her first interview with foreign media. Her husband — the only politician seen as capable of beating President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — faces 2,430 years in prison from a blizzard of charges many see as a bid to stop him standing against Erdogan in 2028.But Dilek Kaya Imamoglu said they have taken strength from her husband’s message “to never lose hope”. Imamoglu’s arrest in March, just before he was named as the main opposition CHP’s candidate for the presidential race, sparked Turkey’s worst bout of street unrest since 2013. He is accused of heading a sprawling criminal network and exerting influence “like an octopus” in a 4,000-page indictment that covers everything from graft and bribery to money laundering. The first court hearing is set for March 9.But his wife warned that “the public conscience cannot be silenced. These hardships do not lead me to despair but to solidarity. I trust the will and conscience of the people,” she said.  ‘Freedom is in my mind’-She described how hundreds of police descended on the Istanbul mayor’s home on the morning of his arrest. “I was shocked by what I saw… My heart felt like it was beating outside my chest. I will never forget the worry in our children’s eyes.”But Imamoglu turned to them and said: “We will hold our heads high and never lose hope.” “And instead of bowing to it, we chose to fight,” his wife said. Dilek Kaya Imamoglu said the family is allowed weekly visits to see him in Silivri prison, west of Istanbul, where several other leading opponents of Erdogan are also being held.Despite the serious charges he is facing, Imamoglu’s spirit is high, she said. She described those moments as “very precious, but also very heavy”.Her husband “resists by working, taking notes, generating new ideas for our country’s future and reading books”. “‘My freedom is in my mind,’ he says. Messages of solidarity, letters, and visitors give him incredible strength. It helps him feel that he is not alone inside, but together with millions.”- Western silence ‘disappointed us’-Rights groups have accused Europe of turning a deaf ear to what they call the erosion of the rule of law and judicial independence in Turkey, as they lash out at a government crackdown on opponents and the jailing of Erdogan’s political rivals. “Frankly, this silence has disappointed us,” Dilek Kaya Imamoglu said. “While the will of millions in Turkey is being ignored, countries that claim to defend democracy have often chosen to remain silent,” she said. But she added: “Our greatest support is not international reaction, but the solidarity of millions in Turkey who believe in justice, freedom and democracy”.She also expressed her solidarity with the families of other leading figures who have fallen foul of Erdogan, including popular Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtas and philanthropist Osman Kavala, both of whom have been behind bars for nearly a decade.-‘We are not alone’-“Today I share the patience and resilience of the spouses of Selahattin Demirtas and Osman Kavala,” Dilek Kaya Imamoglu told AFP in the written interview. “The endurance of the families of those unjustly and unlawfully deprived of their freedom guides me, because we are not alone,” the author and activist added. Asked if she worries Imamoglu might face a similar fate, she said: “As a spouse, it is impossible not to worry. Decisions by the European Court of Human Rights and the Constitutional Court are being ignored. Our constitution is not being applied, and attempts are being made to normalise lawlessness.”With “so much injustice”, it is impossible to predict the outcome of her husband’s case, said Dilek Kaya Imamoglu.”But I want to believe that justice will be applied equally for all, and that Ekrem (Imamoglu) and his colleagues will eventually be acquitted, for the sake of all 86 million citizens of our country.”Dilek Kaya Imamoglu has stepped into the spotlight while her husband is in jail, attending rallies and meeting the families of the party’s other jailed officials in an effort to keep their cases in the public eye.  But she ruled out entering politics. “The politician in our household is Ekrem,” she said.But she was determined to do her bit to repair the “heavy wounds” she said democracy has suffered in Turkey.”Press freedom, judicial independence, and fundamental rights and freedoms are under pressure,” she said. But she remains optimistic. “No matter how intense the pressure, the conscience of the people will ultimately prevail. That is where I draw my hope.”

Présidentielle au Honduras: le conservateur Asfura, soutenu par Trump, déclaré vainqueur

L’homme d’affaires conservateur Nasry Asfura, soutenu par Donald Trump, a été déclaré vainqueur mercredi de la présidentielle au Honduras, trois semaines après un scrutin marqué par un écart très faible et des accusations de fraude, marquant un retour à droite du pays. Après quatre années de mandat de la présidente de gauche Xiomara Castro, cette victoire …

Présidentielle au Honduras: le conservateur Asfura, soutenu par Trump, déclaré vainqueur Read More »

Bethléem renoue avec l’esprit de Noël à la faveur de la trêve à Gaza

Bethléem, ville de Cisjordanie occupée et berceau du christianisme, a célébré mercredi son premier Noël festif depuis le début de la guerre à Gaza, alors qu’à des milliers de kilomètres de là, le pape Léon XIV célébrait au Vatican la première messe de Noël de son pontificat. Sous les ors de la basilique Saint-Pierre de Rome, …

Bethléem renoue avec l’esprit de Noël à la faveur de la trêve à Gaza Read More »

Trump-backed Nasry Asfura declared winner of Honduras presidency

Nasry Asfura, a conservative businessman backed by US President Donald Trump, was declared winner of the Honduran presidential vote Wednesday, weeks after a razor-thin election marred by delays and allegations of fraud.The national electoral council CNE said the 67-year-old son of Palestinian immigrants defeated fellow conservative TV personality Salvador Nasralla by less than one percentage point Asfura’s victory marks the return of the right wing to power in one of Latin America’s poorest countries after four years of leftist Xiomara Castro’s presidency. It also aligns Honduras with a rise of conservative governments in the region following shifts in Chile, Bolivia, Peru and Argentina.”Honduras: I’m ready to govern. I won’t let you down,” Asfura posted to X after the win was declared, thanking election officials for validating his victory.Asfura, who takes office on January 27, prevailed with just 40.1 percent of the vote, narrowly beating Nasralla at 39.5 percent, according to the official results.Rixi Moncada, a lawyer from the leftist Libre Party, which currently runs the government, trailed in third with 19.2 percent.Within minutes of the result declaration, the United States welcomed the election of Asfura, saying it would help stop illegal immigration.”We look forward to working with his incoming administration to advance our bilateral and regional security cooperation, end illegal immigration to the United States, and strengthen the economic ties between our two countries,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.Following the lengthy counting process in the Central American country’s election, Rubio called on all sides to “respect the confirmed results so that Honduran authorities may swiftly ensure a peaceful transition of authority.”Argentina’s President Javier Milei, a Trump ally, said on X that the Honduras vote amounted to “a resounding defeat of narco-socialism.” – Tensions, challenges -The result was announced more than three weeks after the November 30 election. The wait for the outcome has caused tensions among Hondurans, and the sluggish count has been accompanied by claims of irregularities and voter fraud.Nasralla had demanded a full recount due to alleged irregularities, and has not recognized Asfura’s victory.The recount of nearly 2,800 tally sheets with suspected inconsistencies was pored over by hundreds of electoral staff and political delegates to decide the race.The CNE had until December 30 to declare a winner. Last week, thousands of supporters of the outgoing president’s leftist Libre Party staged a demonstration in the capital Tegucigalpa to protest what they consider “fraud” in the vote.On the eve of the election, Trump in a surprise move pardoned former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez, a member of Asfura’s party who was serving a 45-year prison sentence in the United States for drug trafficking.Extradited by Honduras to face justice in the United States, Hernandez insists he had been set up by the previous administration of US president Joe Biden because of his conservative policies.The pardon was widely seen as contradicting Trump’s crackdown on alleged drug traffickers in Latin America.Trump also endorsed Asfura, suggesting they could “work together to fight the narcocommunists,” and warned “there will be hell to pay” if the conservative candidate’s razor-thin lead was overturned in the count.On Wednesday Hernandez took to X to congratulate Honduran voters, saying the country “closes a cycle and opens a new era with hope, commitment and responsibility.”Asfura faces major challenges. He has pledged to attract foreign investment to the nation of 11 million people and re-establish ties with Taiwan — after his predecessor warmed to China in 2023.He will govern a more polarized country amid lingering doubts about the elections, which Castro said was under “serious question” due to a lack of transparency, coercion of voters by gang members, and “threats” from Trump.Honduras is also plagued by violence and the crime of drug traffickers and major gangs, which Castro has struggled to combat despite declaring a state of emergency.Although murders have declined, Honduras remains one of the region’s most violent countries, with some 27 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2024.

Trump takes Christmas Eve shot at ‘radical left scum’

US President Donald Trump seized on the occasion of Christmas Eve to assail opposition Democrats, branding them “radical left scum” as he sent out holiday greetings.From his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, the Republican spent the day before Christmas spreading some yuletide cheer. He participated in NORAD Santa tracker calls and sent Christmas greetings to American troops worldwide.Trump did not share that same bonhomie with rival Democrats.”Merry Christmas to all, including the Radical Left Scum that is doing everything possible to destroy our Country, but are failing badly,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.”We no longer have Open Borders, Men in Women’s Sports, Transgender for Everyone, or Weak Law Enforcement. What we do have is a Record Stock Market and 401K’s, Lowest Crime numbers in decades, No Inflation, and yesterday, a 4.3 GDP, two points better than expected,” he added.Trump lashed out at the opposition, which has criticized his administration over its handling of the cost of living, a day after Commerce Department data showed the economy had grown by 4.3 percent in the third quarter — the highest GDP in two years.But the report also showed the price index for domestic purchases rose 3.4 percent — a much higher inflation reading compared with 2.0 percent in the second quarter.In the week before Christmas, Democrats had criticized the Justice Department over its slow release and heavy redaction of thousands of records from the investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, once a friend of Trump.Trump also sent greetings to troops worldwide, including those who are part of a major US naval buildup in Caribbean waters, where Washington has mounted a campaign to pressure Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro to leave office.

Southern California soaked by powerful Christmas storms

Flash flood warnings were in effect in Los Angeles and most of southern California on Wednesday as one of the worst Christmas storms in recent memory brought heavy rain and fears of deadly mudslides.Driven by an atmospheric river known as “the Pineapple Express,” which moves heavy moisture from the tropical climes of Hawaii to rain on the West Coast, the storm is expected to deliver months’ worth of rain over the next few days.California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in several counties, including Los Angeles, to facilitate the rapid mobilization and allocation of resources if needed.”Life-threatening flash flooding continues over Southern California today and tomorrow; heavy mountain snow and high winds also ongoing,” the National Weather Service (NWS) said, adding that “lives and property are in great danger.”The first burst of heavy rain hit the region Tuesday night, leaving Los Angeles with fallen trees and some debris in the streets, as well as minor flooding that hampered traffic.The rainfall intensified early Wednesday, leaving thousands of people in southern California without power due to downed lines caused by the fury of the Christmas storm. Late Wednesday the first storm moved out of the Los Angeles area, “but another storm is expected to move in later tonight into Christmas Day,” weather officials warned.Some communities already received 10 inches (25.4 centimeters) of rain in the first storm, forecasters said.Across the state, some 80,000 homes and businesses had no electricity heading into Christmas Eve, according to tracking site Poweroutage.us.Fire burn scars and the communities near them across the state are under special alert, including the coastal areas of Pacific Palisades and Malibu, as they are still recovering from the devastating wildfires in January. Due to fire damage, the terrain is susceptible to mudslides from heavy rain.While many were still hoping to drive to spend the holidays with family, transportation officials were busy announcing road and freeway closures due to flooding, fallen trees and mud flows across Southern California. The Red Cross opened shelters in several communities as some residents in Southern California received immediate evacuation orders.Authorities were responding to a series of accidents Wednesday, and several major roads were closed due to flash flood warnings.Ariel Cohen, an NWS meteorologist, warned that from Wednesday afternoon through Friday, “many areas will likely experience significant flooding, along with rockslides and mudslides, especially in the higher elevations.” “If you were planning to travel on the roads during Christmas, please reconsider your plans,” he added.- ‘Doesn’t feel safe’ -However, many Angelenos were still out and about Wednesday, buying last-minute gifts, grocery shopping, even jogging.For some though, Christmas travel was upended.”We decided to stay home,” said Jim Lewis, who opted against going to his cousins in nearby Pasadena and was doing last-minute shopping in the city instead.”We’ve been receiving all these alerts, it doesn’t feel safe, I don’t feel like driving there at dark,” he told AFP.Larissa Peet, who was planning a party, said her celebration was still on.”Nothing that we’re doing differently. Just hanging out, eating, drinking and having a good time,” she said.In addition to the threat of flooding, meteorologists are forecasting wind gusts up to 80 miles per hour (nearly 130 kilometers per hour) in the mountains and deserts of Los Angeles County.Some Californian communities are still reeling from thousands of wildfires that killed 31 people across the state during 2025, including residential neighborhoods of Los Angeles.In the Sierra Nevada range along the eastern border of California, more than a foot (30 centimeters) of snow had already fallen this week, with up to five feet forecast before the storm is through.

Bethlehem celebrates first festive Christmas since Gaza war

Hundreds of worshippers gathered for mass at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem Wednesday night as the Palestinian city ushered in its first festive Christmas in more than two years, emerging from the shadow of the war in Gaza. Throughout the conflict that began with Hamas’s attack on Israel in October 2023, a sombre tone had marked Christmases in the biblical birthplace of Jesus Christ.But celebrations returned full swing Wednesday with crowded parades and music in the occupied West Bank city, as a fragile truce held in Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people face winter in makeshift tents.With pews of the Church of the Nativity filled long before midnight, many stood or sat on the floor for the traditional mass to usher in Christmas Day.At 11:15 pm (2115 GMT) organ music rang out as a procession of dozens of clergymen entered, followed by Jerusalem’s Latin Patriarch, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who blessed the crowd with signs of the cross. In his homily, Pizzaballa urged peace, hope and rebirth, saying the Nativity story still held relevance in the turbulence of modern times.”Christmas… invites us to look beyond the logic of domination, to rediscover the power of love, solidarity, and of justice,” he told the congregation.He spoke of his visit to war-battered Gaza over the weekend, where he said “suffering is still present” despite the ceasefire.”The wounds are deep, yet I have to say, here too, there too, their proclamation of Christmas resounds,” he said. “When I met them, I was struck by their strength and desire to start over.”At the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV delivered his first Christmas Mass at Saint Peter’s Basilica, after he called for “24 hours of peace in the whole world”.The American pontiff, elected in May after Pope Francis’s death, said Christmas was a feast of “faith, charity and hope” and criticised a “distorted economy” that treats humans “as mere merchandise”.Leo stuck to a very religious homily without any direct reference to current affairs.Across the world, families gathered for Christmas Eve as millions of children everywhere awaited eagerly for their gifts to be delivered.- ‘Desire of life’ -In Bethlehem, drums and bagpipes playing renditions of popular Christmas carols filled the air, as Christians young and old made their way to the city’s central Manger Square.”Today is full of joy because we haven’t been able to celebrate because of the war,” said Milagros Anstas, 17, dressed in the yellow and blue uniform of Bethlehem’s Salesian scout group.Hundreds took part in the parade down Bethlehem’s narrow Star Street, while a dense crowd massed in the square.Men dressed as Santa Claus sold toffee apples and toys as families took photographs in front of a nativity scene framed by a giant star. As darkness fell, multi-coloured lights shone over Manger Square and a towering Christmas tree glittered next to the Church of the Nativity.The basilica dates back to the fourth century and was built on top of a grotto where Christians believe Jesus was born more than 2,000 years ago.Bethlehem residents hope the return of Christmas festivities will breathe life back into the city.”We need to get the message to the whole world and this is the only way,” said George Hanna, from the neighbouring town of Beit Jala.”What is Christmas without celebrating?”Italian pilgrim Carmelina Piedimonte said witnessing the celebrations filled her with hope.”If in your heart you have love, then it’s possible to have a world without war,” she said, as bells rang out behind her.- ‘New future’ -In Syria, Christmas lights illuminated Damascus’s Old City despite the Christian community’s fears of violence after a deadly attack in June.Around the district, home to a vibrant community and several important churches, red baubles hung from trees, shopkeepers put up Christmas decorations and street vendors peddled warm chestnuts.”Syria deserves joy and for us to be happy, and to hope for a new future,” said student Loris Aasaf, 20, as she soaked up the atmosphere with her friends.Globally, families with the means to do so began gathering to mark Christmas Eve together.The Flightradar24 tracking site, among others, revived its annual tradition of posting a live Santa tracker, showing Father Christmas’s sleigh soaring through the skies from the North Pole to deliver presents.In Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had a more sombre message in the wake of the recent attack on a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach.”Wherever you are across our wonderful country, Christmas will feel different this year,” he said. “After the terror inflicted on Jewish Australia celebrating Hanukkah and Bondi Beach, we feel the weight of sorrow in our hearts.”

Bethléem renoue avec l’esprit de Noël à la faveur de la trêve à Gaza

Bethléem, ville de Cisjordanie occupée et berceau du christianisme, a célébré mercredi son premier Noël festif depuis le début de la guerre à Gaza, alors qu’à des milliers de kilomètres de là, le pape Léon XIV célébrait au Vatican la première messe de Noël de son pontificat. Sous les ors de la basilique Saint-Pierre de Rome, devant les cardinaux, évêques, diplomates et environ 6.000 fidèles, le pape a délivré dans son homélie un message de “charité et d’espérance” face aux dérives d’une “économie faussée”.Le chef de l’Eglise catholique devrait renouveler jeudi, en prononçant sa bénédiction “Urbi et Orbi” (à la ville et au monde) ses appels à la paix. Mardi soir, il avait demandé une trêve d’un jour pour Noël dans le monde entier, disant regretter le fait que “la Russie semble avoir rejeté la demande de trêve”.A Bethléem, des centaines de fidèles se sont massés à l’approche de minuit dans la basilique de la Nativité, comble au point qu’ils étaient nombreux à être assis à même le sol.Les célébrations de Noël de ces deux dernières années y avaient été ternies par la guerre dévastatrice à Gaza déclenchée par l’attaque sans précédent du mouvement islamiste palestinien Hamas le 7 octobre 2023.Par solidarité avec les Palestiniens du territoire, les festivités avaient été annulées mais cette année, avec la trêve entrée en vigueur à Gaza en octobre, l’immense sapin de Noël s’est de nouveau illuminé devant la basilique de la Nativité, construite sur la grotte où la tradition chrétienne situe la naissance du Christ.- “Solidarité” et “justice” -Le patriarche latin de Jérusalem, le cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, arrivé mercredi, y a délivré lors de la messe une homélie pour la paix, l’espoir et le renouveau, face aux décisions politiques et équilibres de pouvoirs qui “semblent souvent déterminer le destin des peuples”.”Noël, cependant, nous invite à regarder au-delà de la logique de la domination, à redécouvrir le pouvoir de l’amour, de la solidarité et de la justice”, a dit le cardinal, qui avait célébré une messe à Gaza dimanche.Le vice-président de l’Autorité palestinienne, Hussein al-Cheikh, était présent à la messe de Bethléem.Dans la journée, des centaines de personnes ont envahi les rues de la ville pour assister au défilé des scouts sur l’emblématique place de la Mangeoire, égrenant les chants traditionnels.”C’est une journée pleine de joie, parce qu’avant on ne pouvait pas célébrer à cause de la guerre”, dit à l’AFP Milagros Anstas, 17 ans, dans son uniforme bleu et jaune.Des hommes déguisés en Père Noël vendaient des pommes d’amour et des jouets, tandis que des familles se faisaient photographier devant une crèche encadrée par une étoile géante.”Je suis venue en Terre sainte pour réaliser le rêve de toute une vie : passer Noël ici”, a déclaré Ursula Whalen, venue de Caroline du Nord, aux Etats-Unis.- Crise humanitaire -Comme ailleurs au Moyen-Orient, les chrétiens représentent une minorité en Terre sainte, avec une communauté de 185.000 personnes en Israël et 47.000 dans les Territoires palestiniens.Malgré l’esprit de fête qui règne dans la ville, la municipalité de Bethléem a tenu à tempérer le faste des célébrations. Car en dépit du cessez-le-feu, les Palestiniens de Gaza restent frappés par une grave crise humanitaire.La grande majorité des plus de 2 millions de Gazaouis ont été déplacés par le conflit et vivent dans des conditions très difficiles. Des centaines de milliers d’entre eux sont encore sous des tentes, impuissants face aux pluies hivernales. Carmelina Piedimonte, venue d’Italie avec un groupe catholique, a estimé qu’il était essentiel que les pèlerins et les touristes reviennent dans la ville sainte afin d’aider à relancer son économie en difficulté, qui dépend quasi exclusivement du tourisme.En Syrie, la communauté chrétienne de Damas a fêté Noël sous haute surveillance dans la vieille ville, après un attentat suicide perpétré en juin dans une église de la capitale. En Australie, les festivités sont particulièrement assombries par l’attentat antisémite survenu le 14 décembre sur la plage de Bondi, à Sydney.”Noël sera différent cette année”, a écrit sur X le Premier ministre Anthony Albanese, évoquant “une profonde tristesse”.