The ancient Christian community in the coastal city of Tyre has little cause for celebration this year, with many mourning their dead and still rattled by months of Israeli bombardment.The New York Times reports that in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, churchgoers slowly made their way into the bare-brick cathedral for the last Sunday Mass before Christmas. Despite their clothes being soaked from the rain and their minds still haunted by war, they gathered to pray. This year, there were no parties, music recitals, or Christmas tree in the city square. The city has been devastated by months of Israeli airstrikes, leaving behind flattened buildings, mangled cars, and abandoned stores.
As the pastor, Yaacoub Saab, stood at the altar, he tried to lift the spirits of his parishioners. “It’s a great blessing to gather and pray together,” he said. However, he later admitted that “we are finding it difficult to celebrate.” With a cease-fire in place between Israel and Hezbollah, Tyre’s ancient Christian community has accepted that this year’s Christmas will be a quiet one. While most of the city’s residents fled during the war, the Christian quarter remained, surviving on handouts of bread and cut off from the outside world.
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