NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

    VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- An enormous Christmas tree, imported from the Czech Republic, has been set up in St. Peter's Square.

    The 85-foot tree has been placed at the center of the square, near the obelisk, where it will stand beside the Vatican's large creche.

    This year, the tree is a gift from the Czech Republic. It arrived in Rome by train, along with 30 other smaller trees, cut from the forest near Moravka and presented to the Vatican. The other trees will decorate the Paul VI auditorium, the papal apartment, and the offices of the Roman Curia. Each of the trees has been decorated with dried flowers, ornaments fashioned from straw, and other adornments made in the Czech region of Ostrava-Opava.

    Czech President Vaclav Havel is due to visit Rome on December 18, for the official blessing and lighting of the Christmas tree. Cardinal Miloslav Vlk of Prague will also be on hand, along with Czech groups who will perform traditional folk music.

    Meanwhile, the mayor of Bethlehem said on Tuesday that city of Jesus' birth was ready for an expected flood of visitors coming to celebrate the 2,000th anniversary of His birth.

    Mayor Hanna Nasser said more than 50,000 visitors were expected on Christmas Day and 2.5 million over the next year, almost double the average in recent years. Bethlehem underwent a major facelift this year, including Manger Square adjacent to the Church of the Nativity being converted from a parking lot to a walking plaza. The city received $86 million, including a $25 million loan from the World Bank, for its renovation project.

    Palestinian Authority officials said that they had made special security precautions for Christmas Eve. Nabil Qassis, in charge of "Bethlehem 2000," the city's renovation and celebration program for the millennium, said security would be adequate, but would give no details.

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