After the prayer, the friars, the Magi, and the custos of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Patton, who presided over the prayer, descended into the Grotto of the Nativity bringing gold, incense, and myrrh to the sacred place of Jesus’ manifestation.
The gold was in the form of the rose donated by Pope Paul VI to the Basilica of the Nativity, carried as a tradition by the guardian of the Franciscan convent in Bethlehem, currently Father Luis Enrique Segovia. The secretary of the Custody of the Holy Land, Father Alberto Pari, and the priest responsible for the friars’ infirmary, Father Jad Sara, carried the gifts of incense and myrrh, which they then distributed to the gathered faithful in the church and the cloister.
This usually crowded event was affected by the absence of pilgrims, as was the solemn entrance that took place on the morning of Jan. 5. For the second time in a month, the custos of the Holy Land found himself walking through deserted streets. Local Christians had completely boycotted the “street” events commemorating the feast amid the Israel-Hamas war.
The custos acknowledged the absence of pilgrims and said the time was ripe for their return.