Christians in the Holy Land are praying for peace this Christmas after another difficult year marked by conflict and suffering.
Anglican Archbishop of Jerusaelm, Hosam Naoum, said he was praying for "a just and lasting peace" in the Holy Land.
"Let wars and violence come to an end, and may harmony prevail among the peoples of the region, built on mutual respect and the protection of the rights of the oppressed," he said.
In his Midnight Mass homily on Christmas Eve, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, said it was a "sad Christmas" for Christians in Bethlehem in particular and that the season was "marked by insecurity, poverty and violence".
He said it was hard to celebrate this Christmas but that he found comfort in the story of Jesus' birth and the example of the shepherds keeping watch in the night.
"I frankly admit that it is hard for me this year to announce the joy of Christ's birth to you here and to all those who look to Bethlehem from all over the world," he said.
"The Angels' song of glory, joy and peace seems to be out of tune after a tiring year full of tears, bloodshed, suffering, in addition to shattered hopes and crushed plans for peace and justice. A sad cry seems to choke the song, and powerless anger seems to paralyze every path of hope.
"Over the past few weeks, I have asked myself several times how to live with this burden and even more so how to leave it behind. I have struggled with the unpleasant feeling that words, even faith-based ones, are useless when faced with the harshness of reality and a suffering that plainly seems to have no end in sight.
"The figure of the Shepherds (of the Christmas story) came to my rescue as the inspiration for me to follow together with the bishops and priests of this land. We are to keep vigil in the night watching over the flock."
The Cardinal said he wanted to see "a new beginning" for the Holy Land and called on the faithful to "look to the future with hope, without surrendering to the language of violence and hatred, which instead closes off any possibility of a future".
"May our communities experience a true spiritual renewal," he said.
"May there also be this new beginning for us in the Holy Land. May debts be forgiven, prisoners be freed, property be returned, and may serious and credible paths of reconciliation and forgiveness, without which there will never be true peace, sincerely begin with courage and determination."
