Post by M. Hawbaker on Dec 5, 2019 17:32:27 GMT
A wooden fragment said to be from the crib of the infant Jesus arrived in Jerusalem on Friday on its way back to Bethlehem after a millenium-long absence.
The relic, housed in Rome since the seventh century, was presented to the Franciscan custodians of the Holy Land at a mass in the Notre Dame Catholic centre opposite the walls of Jerusalem's Old city.
It will be taken to Bethlehem on Saturday, in time for the traditional lighting of the Christmas tree in Manger Square.
It will be taken to Bethlehem on Saturday, in time for the traditional lighting of the Christmas tree in Manger Square.
The chief custodian for the Holy Land, Francesco Patton, said that the relic was sent from Bethlehem to Rome around the year 640 as gift to Pope Theodore I from Sophronius, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.
The Franciscan custodians' website says that during its time in Rome the relic was visited by "very large number of pilgrims from all over the world" and is expected to attract many more to its home in Bethlehem.
