A rare bond in Bethlehem gets ancient church restored
Three churches put tensions aside to work together to repair the Church of the Nativity.
Scaffolding is erected for the restoration of the roof of the Church of the Nativity, located over the cave where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born.(Photo: Musa al-Shaer, AFP/Getty Images)
10:42 a.m. EST December 25, 2013
Michele Chabin, Religion News Service
BETHLEHEM, West Bank — Two weeks before Christmas, one of the most powerful storms to hit the Middle East in a century dumped several inches of snow on the hills of Bethlehem.
In addition to shuttering schools and businesses, the storm caused runoff to trickle down the walls of the Church of the Nativity, built above the traditional birthplace of Jesus.
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In what some are calling the biggest miracle in Bethlehem since the birth of Jesus, the three churches that share responsibility for the Nativity church put aside centuries of tense relations this past year to ensure the job gets done.
In an act of diplomatic prowess, the Palestinian Authority persuaded the Latin (Roman Catholic), Greek Orthodox and Apostolic Armenian churches to sign an agreement permitting the restoration of the church, whose basilica was built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian about 600 A.D.
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