Word: bethlehem
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...game in Chicago. The pious have been buying ad space from the city's decaying, cash-strapped public transportation system for a while. One recent religious ad read, "ISLAM. Got questions? Get answers. FREE Quran & Literature," followed by a toll-free telephone number. (Watch TIME's video "Bethlehem's Complicated Christmas...
Unfortunately for the Pope, the present is often as difficult to navigate as the past. On Wednesday he will visit the West Bank city of Bethlehem, where he will both pray at Jesus' birthplace and devote his attention to the Palestinian people and the suffering of their struggle for a homeland under Israeli rule. Many hope the Pope might inject new hope into the stalled peace process. Others simply pray that his presence doesn't unintentionally make things worse...
...Israel, which the Vatican only recognized in 1993. Arab Christians say that have no objection to the Vatican reaching out to Jews, but at the same time, they don't want the Pontiff's visit to gloss over their own troubles with the Israelis. Says George Said, a Bethlehem property dealer: "If the Pope continues to keep quiet about the suffering of Christians from Israelis, a day will come when the churches of Bethlehem and Jerusalem are turned into empty museums without a single Christian...
...Another Bethlehem Christian named Nadia says she would like to see the Pope endure the same difficulties as Palestinians do every day while crossing the Israeli checkpoint. "The Holy Father would have to stand in line for several hours, then remove his belt and shoes and cross just to get past the security barrier," she muses...
...Pope. But for them, the border into Israel remains closed. If the Israeli security officials do not allow them out tomorrow, they may miss the Pope's visit entirely. "All we can do is pray," sighs Father George. "It's in God's hands." -with reporting by Jamil Hamad / Bethlehem...