The gold is missing, for obvious reason, but three special Franciscan magi have returned to Bethlehem to distribute their gifts to the faithful on the day of the Epiphany, following a well-established tradition. January 6 in Bethlehem is a very popular feast: at the end of Vespers, the Custos of the Holy Land goes into the Grotto of the Nativity from which he returns carrying a Baby Jesus on the Throne from the manger. There are three laps around the courtyard of the Church of St. Catherine, during which a long procession of the faithful receives drops of myrrh and grains of incense as a gift. Carried two millennia ago by the three wise men who came from the East following the star, the gold recalls the royalty of Jesus, the incense his divinity, the myrrh the death that Christ will suffer. Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm Custos of the Holy Land "A feast that wants to unite all humanity, that wants to create communion among peoples and not divisions, lacerations, enmities or wars. To do this, we must know how to worship that child." The last solemn entrance to Bethlehem of the Custos of the Holy Land the previous afternoon, the Mass of the Epiphany and the procession with the gifts followed by the kiss to the Child Jesus: these are the last moments of a long period of festivities, but only for Catholic Christians: at the same time, in fact, Christmas time begins for the Eastern Churches, which follow the Julian calendar. Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm Custos of the Holy Land "On the feast of the Epiphany, that grotto already becomes the manifestation of the ability of the Child Jesus to attract all peoples. And it also becomes a sign of a possible, future and in part already present unity of the Church". Therefore, the Epiphany becomes a time for weighing things up for a city like Bethlehem, which is the image of Christmas all over the world. HUSAM WAHHAB President of Catholic Action Bethlehem "Christmas was a very positive time, of great joy for the entire population of Bethlehem. We can say that in Bethlehem we are experiencing a real boom in the tourism industry. The sad side of the Christmas holidays is that we need more Christians to come here: from all parts of the world but especially from Palestine and Gaza: we cannot forget that we have restrictions on travel and we hope that next year there will be more freedom of movement, that's what we are aiming for". JAWAD GEORGE SLEIBI Bethlehem "In Bethlehem Christmas is very special, every year we look for something different: it is an event that happened two thousand years ago, but it is not past history, it is an event that continues still today. Every time you visit the Grotto of the Nativity you can celebrate Christmas, at any time of the year. Merry Christmas everyone!" Read More