Vatican: The Palestinian headscarf was removed from the manger with Jesus, after strong reactions

Last Saturday (07.12.2024) the image of Pope Francis in front of the fanta donated by the Palestinian community of Bethlehem to Vatican.

The baby Jesus, who was in the manger in the Vatican, was wrapped in the kefiya – the traditional Palestinian headscarf – which caused a flurry of reactions on social media, mainly from the Italian Jewish community.

After protests, the statue of the newborn Jesus and the kefiya were removed from the manger.

The press service of the Vatican announced that the small statue of Jesus will be re-placed in the manger on the night of December 24 – as the relevant tradition defines – and that “the headdress had been added at the last moment, by the artist who took care of the decoration”.

Pope Francis had prayed in front of this manger and a few hours later, members of the Jewish community of Italy had underlined that “Jesus is connected to Jewish culture and tradition” and that “this choice does not facilitate the dialogue between religions and cultures” .