The Vatican illuminated this year's Christmas tree and unveiled the nativity scene for the holiday season on Saturday (12/7). The 95-foot-tall red spruce hails from a forest in Trento, Italy. The nativity scene also features a traditional reed hut used by lagoon fishermen set in an environment from the early 20th century.

One of the Vatican's Nativity scenes raised eyebrows when it was unveiled because it featured a keffiyeh, the Palestinian headscarf.

When asked by Catholic media, the church does not offer a reason for taking down display created by Palestinian artists and dedicated by pope The post Vatican nativity scene showing baby Jesus on a keffiyeh removed after backlash appeared first on The Times of Israel.

In the wake of global controversy over a Nativity scene displayed at the Vatican showing the infant Jesus resting upon a Palestinian keffiyeh, widely seen as a pro-Palestinian statement, that set has now been removed.

Pope Francis created an uproar when he was seen with a controversial nativity scene at the Vatican over the weekend. The wooden display showed the baby Jesus lying on a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf. The 87-year-old pontiff was seen on Saturday afternoon praying before the nativity display while sitting in a wheelchair.

The Vatican has removed the kefiah from the large wooden nativity scene that was gifted to the Pope by the artisans of Bethlehem, in front of which he was captured in prayer, sparking

A stature of the Baby Jesus and a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf have disappeared from the Vatican's 'presepe' or Nativity Scene in the Paul VI Room, Vatican News reported Wednesday. The nativity scene was donated by the Palestinian community of Bethlehem and has spurred criticism from some in the Jewish world.