Hundreds pack Bethlehem church for Christmas Mass

(December 26, 2011) Hundreds of Christians, braving lashing rains and wind, celebrated Christmas Mass at Jesus' traditional birthplace, Bethlehem, on Sunday. Worshippers rushed into St. Catherine's Church on Manger Square, leaving the plaza, with its 15-meter-tall Christmas tree, deserted. The church was packed, and worshippers raised their voices in prayer, kissed a plaster statue of a baby Jesus and received communion. St. Catherine's is attached to the smaller Church of the Nativity, which is built over a grotto where Christians believe Jesus was born. With turnout at its highest in more than a decade, proud Palestinian officials said they were praying the celebrations would bring them closer to their dream of statehood. An estimated 100,000 visitors streamed into Manger Square on Christmas Eve, up from 70,000 the previous year, according to the Israeli military's count.