History indicates that Baby Jesus was born here, in the Church of Nativity. It's said that his first crib was a manger. Thousands of pilgrims visit this location in Bethlehem every day, a city in Palestine only five and a half miles away from Jerusalem.
Although the Muslim population is the majority, Christian initiatives to improve health and education are well-respected and continue to grow.
Children who suffer from cerebral palsy in this area have little chance of survival. Sisters of the Incarnate Word give a home to 34 children who in many cases, are abandoned by their families. They are now preparing a new center for the elderly.
The Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem is also growing. This depends on the Order of Malta, which specializes in maternity and pediatrics and helps deliver around 4,300 births every year.
MICHELINE ALQASSIS
Holy Family Hospital of Bethlehem
“Our united ICU in the Holy Family Hospital is the unique united ICU in the Bethlehem district. We cover 75% of deliveries in all of Bethlehem, and one third in Hebron. They often come from East Jerusalem.”
Many of the people who work there are trained at Bethlehem University, a Catholic center directed by the De La Salle Brothers and supported by the Order of the Holy Sepulchre. There, Christians and Muslims live together, trying to create a better future. Right now, they are managing the construction of a new pole dedicated to the nursery.
These are three examples of Christian charity, only a few feet from where Baby Jesus was born.
AO
Translated: Rachel Dobrzynski
