Catholics and Biblical scholars alike have been calling foul on recent attempts by supporters of Hamas to portray Jesus Christ as a “Palestinian.” The historically incorrect narrative has been pushed by Muslims and other anti-Israel voices, who have sought to claim Jesus as their own in order to bolster support for the “from the river to the sea” destruction of the state of Israel.
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Sadly, it seems that the pro-Hamas cabal has found a kindred spirit in the leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis. This was on full display on Saturday as the pope unveiled a Christmas Nativity crèche at the Vatican that featured the figure of the baby Jesus laying upon a manger covered with a kaffiyeh, the well-known symbol of the “pro-Palestine” crowd.
In inaugurating the crèche, which will be on display during the Christmas season in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, the pope had some words to go along with the image of Jesus, a Jew, in virulently anti-Jewish swaddling:
“Enough with wars! Enough with violence!”: these poignant words resonated again in the Paul the VI Hall on Saturday where Pope Francis received in audience the delegations that gifted this year’s Nativity Scene and Christmas Tree to be inaugurated on Saturday afternoon in St. Peter’s Square.
Alongside the pope as he unveiled the crèche was none other than Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee member Ramzi Khouri, who conveyed the warm greetings of PLO President Mahmoud Abbas. Khouri thanked Pope Francis for his “unwavering support for the Palestinian cause and his tireless efforts to end the war on Gaza and promote justice.”
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The heretical nativity scene was apparently organized by the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs, which is an arm of the PLO. The artists who created it, Johny Andonia and Faten Nastas Mitwasi, are “Palestinians” from Bethlehem.
Muslims applauded the pro-Hamas nativity scene, with one group taking to Instagram to laud Pope Francis for the display.
We applaud @franciscus for his courageous and compassionate unveiling of this year’s Nativity Scene of Bethlehem 2024, designed by Bethlehem-based artists Johny Andonia and Faten Nastas Mitwasi. Featuring Baby Jesus wrapped in a keffiyeh—a powerful emblem of Palestinian identity and resilience—this nativity brings global attention to the universal values of justice, peace, and human dignity. This poignant gesture transcends religious and cultural boundaries, reminding the world of the urgent need for solidarity with oppressed communities.
The whole unsavory affair caught the attention of Congressman Ritchie Torres (D-NY), a prominent and consistent pro-Israel in the Democrat Party, who remarked: “Sad to see the pope fall victim to a propaganda photo op that perpetuates the same lie.”
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Torres has been a critic of many in his party for their anti-Israel takes and is often at odds with antisemitic “Squad” members like his fellow New Yorker, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Last Christmas, AOC made headlines for this incredibly bad take:
“In the story of Christmas, Christ was born in modern-day Palestine under the threat of a government engaged in a massacre of innocents,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said in a Christmas Day post. “He was part of a targeted population being indiscriminately killed to protect an unjust leader’s power. Thousands of years later, right-wing forces are violently occupying Bethlehem as similar stories unfold for today’s Palestinians, so much so that the Christian community in Bethlehem has canceled this year’s Christmas Eve celebrations out of both [fear for their] safety and respect,” she wrote.
AOC’s remarks prompted Boston University scholar Paula Fredriksen to respond in an op-ed published by The Washington Post: “Calling Jesus a ‘Palestinian’ or even a ‘Palestinian Jew’ is all about modern politics. Besides being historically false, the claim is inflammatory. For two millennia Jews have been blamed for Jesus’ execution by the Romans. Casting him as a Palestinian just stokes the fires of hate.”
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This isn’t the first time Pope Francis has made waves for his bizarre Nativity scene choices. Back in 2020, Catholics derided him for choosing an unsightly scene straight out of Star Wars, which featured Mary, Joseph, the three Wise Men, and assorted shepherds looking like “cubic chess figures and the animals are squat and square.”