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In an historic display of unity, the heads of the 13 traditional churches of Jerusalem gathered together in Bethlehem's Manger Square over the weekend to pray for a joyful Christmas and to launch the millennium celebrations for Christianity's 2000th anniversary.

At the official launch patriarchs, archbishops and other church heads and officials from the Holy Land were joined by church representativesﾗCatholic, Protestant and Orthodoxﾗfrom around the world and by thousands of pilgrims.

Palestinians, some of them dressed in biblical costumes, danced behind marching bands in the shadow of the Church of the Nativity, built over the spot where Jesus is believed to have been born.

But the celebrations could not conceal the fact that most of Bethlehem's residents are Muslims. Christians are a shrinking minority here. A reminder of the changing demography of this sacred town was the fact that a church choir had to wait until a Muslim service ended at a mosque across Manger Square before singing Christmas carols.

But one of the principal participants, Pope John Paul II's envoy to the Holy Land, Archbishop Pietro Sambi, told Ecumenical News International (ENI) the start of the new millennium was an appropriate moment for Christianity and Islam to show greater respect for one another.

"Bethlehem has been totally renovated for the year 2000 and the work has been done by Muslims and Christians together," he said. "The message at the beginning of the new millennium is that we have to recover this capacityﾗthe Muslims to rejoice with the Christians when the Christians rejoice, and the Christians to be capable of rejoicing with the Muslims when the Muslims rejoice."

Bethlehem, a Palestinian-controlled area in the West Bank about ten minutes' drive from Jerusalem, has undergone a $180-million facelift financed by foreign donations and private funds. Two million tourists are expected to visit Bethlehem next year for the 2000th anniversary of the birth of Christ.

Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, signaled the climax of the festivities by switching on the lights of a gigantic Christmas tree to launch a year of activities that he hopes will boost tourism and improve the local economy.

Earlier, in a speech read out on his behalf, Arafat had criticized the Israeli government, and stressed his people's need to have independence and freedom.

Many other officials present, some of whom were attending a meeting of general secretaries of Christian World Communions, emphasized the importance of the event for Christians world-wide. Holding up a candle, one of the guests, John L. Peterson, secretary general of the Anglican Communion, told ENI it was unlikely there had been a greater show of Christian unity in a long time.

"The 13 church heads [of Jerusalem] walking togetherﾗindeed that is a sign of unity. And to come here and to be able to see this Manger Square absolutely packed with people and most importantly with indigenous Christians; to celebrate and look forward to this new millennium, certainly it is sign of tremendous hope for the church," he said. "And not only hope for the church in this land, but hope for the church around the world."

Sitting alongside him was Joe Hale, general secretary of the World Methodist Council, who said the show of Christian unity must come as a surprise to non-Christians. "Many people are confused. They think of the different denominations, the different families of churches, as different religions, when we all really have the same foundation and the same message," he said.

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December 6 1999, Vol. 43, No. 14