Cardinal Parolin: Restoration of Church of Nativity in Bethlehem is a 'call to peace'

Basilica of the Nativity

Source: Fides

Restoration work on the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem, is now complete. For the past six years, many pilgrims will have had to walk round scaffolding in the church, as major restoration work was undertaken. The project, which began in 2013, saw the collaboration between the Greek Orthodox, Armenians and Franciscans of the Custody who have specific rights over the church. Around 400 experts were involved in the work. The fabric of the ancient building was in poor repair. UNESCO had included it among the 'historical buildings at risk'.

During a ceremony presenting the completion of the work, on Thursday, 6 December, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State of His Holiness, said: "Baby Jesus, born in Bethlehem, is the Prince of Peace, and for this reason the completion of the restoration work on the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem is "a call to peace, exhortation to peace, commitment to peace."

In the Holy Land, first of all peace as the fruit of justice, peace reached with difficulty but tenaciously through readiness to reconciliation, mutual respect, the will to dialogue, love".

The event, organized by the Embassy of the State of Palestine to the Holy See, took place in the Conference Room of the Vatican Museums. There was music and the screening of short documentaries on the restoration campaign, as well as brief speeches by Palestinian Foreign Minister, Riyad al Maliki, Mrs Barbara Jatta, Director of the Vatican Museums,the Ambassador of the State of Palestine to the Holy See, Mr.Issa Kassissieh,Mr Ramzi Khoury, Director of the High Presidential Committee for the Management of Churches in Palestine, Father Ibrahim Faltas ofm of the Custody of the Holy Land and Mr Gianmarco Piacenti, CEO of the Italian restoration company Piacenti Spa, who took care of the challenging work of restoring the Basilica.

In his speech, Cardinal Parolin thanked the ecclesial teams responsible for the management of the Bethlehem Basilica (Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land and the Armenian Apostolic Patriarchate of Jerusalem) who in the organization of the restoration work "offered a beautiful testimony of collaboration," and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas "who took the project to heart."

The "patient, competent and accurate work of restoration" the Cardinal emphasized, "brought back all the splendours of the Basilica of the Nativity. Certainly lovers of history and art are pleased, now they can return to admire the treasures of this monument, a distinguished heritage of humanity. But above all we believers rejoice, because the interventions carried out with skill and love allow that holy place so dear to Christianity to make the mystery that it preserves, the mystery of God made man for us men and for our salvation shine even more."

Citing the recent document on Nativity cribs signed by Pope Francis in Greccio on Sunday 1 December, Cardinal Parolin added that "we feel attracted by the humility of he who became a man to meet every man, and invited to discover that he loves us so much as to join us so that we too can unite with him."

In his speech, Ramzi Khoury confided his desire to "bring, on behalf of President Mahmoud Abbas, a special and personal invitation to His Holiness Pope Francis to visit Palestine next year" for the official celebration of the end of the restoration of the Basilica of the Nativity. Minister Riyad al Maliki said in his speech that he was born in a house facing the Basilica and had attended the adjoining Franciscan school as a boy.

The director of the Vatican Museums, Barbara Jatta, in her speech also focused on the fragment of the wooden manger where according to tradition the little Jesus was born, donated as a relic last November 22 at the behest of Pope Francis, in Bethlehem, and now kept at the church of Santa Caterina.