11/27/12 – Bethlehem: Passing through

We bypassed Jerusalem and made our way to Bethlehem, the focus of our day.  Our first stop there was the Shepherd’s Fields.  But first we would have to pass through a security checkpoint.  Bethlehem is in Palestinian territory and now sits behind Israel’s security wall.  It’s a tall grey monster than snakes its way through the city following the lines of claimed territory.

Security wall lookout

Security wall criss-crossing the landscape

Bethlehem now has 60,000 inhabitants, and with 25% of those being Christian it’s the most densely Christian area in Palestine.  Still, that’s down from almost 90% in the 1900s.  It should concern me much, yet it does.  Any exodus of people from their homeland would make me feel the same way.

Shepherd's fields

By the time we got to Shepherd’s Fields Deacon Mike was in really bad shape; he wasn’t getting any better on his own so a taxi was dispatched to bring him to a hospital and run some tests.  With Deacon Mike on his way to get some help, the group celebrated mass in a grotto near where shepherds would have tended their flocks at the time of Jesus’ birth.  Dad’s head was mere centimetres from bashing into the ceiling of the grotto at all times; cave life was definitely not his style.

On the way out I spotted a young Franciscan monk wearing glasses with Prada frames… so much for a vow of poverty.