教皇在聖誕節祝辭中爲世界和平祈禱

Pope Benedict prayed for peace, especially in the Middle East, in his Christmas Eve mass, as Christians around the world prepared to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ More than 2,000 years ago.

教皇本篤16世在舉行聖誕夜彌撒時爲和平、特別是中東地區的和平祈禱，與此同時，全世界的基督徒準備慶祝耶穌在2000多年前誕生。

Addressing the faithful in a packed St. Peter's Basilica late Monday, the pontiff called for an end to the bloodshed in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and their neighbors. He also prayed that the Israelis and Palestinians may be able to live together in peace.

星期一晚間，教皇在擠滿信衆的聖彼得大教堂呼籲結束敘利亞、黎巴嫩、伊拉克以及中東其他地區的流血衝突。他還祈禱以色列和巴勒斯坦能夠和平相處。

Thousands of tourists from all over the world gathered in the West Bank town of Bethlehem to celebrate the holiday at the place where Christians believe Jesus was born.

來自世界各地的成千上萬遊客聚集在約旦河西岸的伯利恆，歡度聖誕。基督徒相信他們的救世主耶穌基督誕生在這裏。

This year's holiday was particularly joyous for their Palestinian hosts, who just last month received United Nations recognition for an independent state of Palestine.

今年的聖誕節對東道主巴勒斯坦來說格外喜慶，因爲聯合國上個月承認巴勒斯坦爲一個獨立國家。

In his annual pre-Christmas homily, the top Roman Catholic bishop in the area, Fouad Twal, celebrated that achievement for the Palestinians and urged them to work with the Israelis to end the region's seemingly endless conflict.

在每年一度的聖誕前佈道中，耶路撒冷教區 最高的羅馬天主教大主教祝賀巴勒斯坦人取得的成就，並敦促他們同以色列一道結束該地區似乎永無休止的衝突。

Despite cold weather, the festivities continued late into the evening, with some tourists calling it a moving experience.

雖然天氣很冷，慶祝活動一直持續到深夜。一些遊客說，此情此景令人感動。