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February 7, 2026

Saint Valentine’s Award Presented to the Mayor of Bethlehem: “It Means a Great Deal to Me and to the Palestinian People”.

On Friday evening February 7th 2026, before a packed audience at the Secci Theater, the final night of the 2026 Saint Valentine’s Award took place. The award was relaunched this year by the association Io Sono Una Persona per Bene (“I Am a Good Person”). The event was held over two evenings: the first on Thursday, and the second and final one on Friday, featuring the performance Il Respiro del Mondo (“The Breath of the World”), directed by Folco Napolini.

Following the performance, the awards ceremony took place. Among the recipients was the Mayor of Bethlehem, Maher Nicola Canawati, who said:

“Bethlehem is the city where Jesus Christ was born. It is in Palestine, and we are proud to be Palestinians. I am deeply honored to receive this award. It means a great deal to me and to the Palestinian people. It is an award that represents love and peace, and for a better future, love and peace are essential.”

The Mayor of Bethlehem received the award from the President of the Umbria Region, Stefania Proietti.

Also attending the event were Sauro Pellerucci, President of the association Io Sono Una Persona per Bene; Stefano Lupi, representing the Assisi Peace Center; and Stefano Bandecchi, Mayor of Terni. The audience also included numerous representatives of local institutions.

In addition to Mayor Maher Nicola Canawati, the other award recipients were:

  • Vincenzo Mollica – journalist, writer, illustrator, television author, and TV and radio presenter.
  • Valter Stoppini – Mayor of Assisi.
  • Sergio Bellucci – writer, journalist, and Academic Director of the University’s Faculty of Artificial Intelligence.
  • Valentina Vittori – entrepreneur and representative of Confapi Donna.
  • Mirko Frezza – actor and social activist.

(Report by Maria Giulia Pensosi.)

September 24, 2025

Bethlehem Mayor meets Pope and appeals for hope and solidarity

By Linda Bordoni

Bethlehem’s recently appointed mayor, Maher Nicola Canawati, met Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday morning after the General Audience, carrying with him the concerns of his people and a plea for peace and hope in the Holy Land.

“Actually, the first letter that I wrote when I became the Mayor of Bethlehem was a letter to the Pope, because we believe that from here we can do many things and we can support our people,” he said. “And the most important thing is to give them hope.”

The mayor explained that emigration continues to drain Bethlehem and other Palestinian cities, draining the Holy Land of its Christian presence.

“People have been leaving Bethlehem, leaving Palestine because of what’s happening and what’s going on,” he said, noting that settlements surrounding Bethlehem now rival the city’s own population and put much pressure on resources.

Meeting with the Pope

Mayor Canawati, who was appointed in May, said Pope Leo XIV responded to his request for a personal meeting.

“I had a good time explaining to the Pope how important it is to intervene in what’s happening in Palestine, in Gaza, in Bethlehem, and to preserve the living stones of the Holy Land, because the Holy Land without the living stones is just a mere museum,” he said.

And describing his meeting with the Holy Father, he added, “Always, before I talk about Bethlehem, I always pray. And that was my first sentence to the Pope: to intervene so we can stop this war, stop what’s happening to our people in Gaza. And I think this is the top priority that we actually talked about, and he agreed.”

Bethlehem and Christians under pressure

The mayor painted a stark picture of life in Bethlehem today. “Bethlehem used to be 37 km². Now, after the annexation and the settlements and the separation wall that separated Bethlehem from its sister and its heart – Jerusalem – for the first time in history, means that we’re dealing with a lot of problems as Bethlemites,” he explained.

Again, he highlighted his concern for the declining numbers of Palestinian Christians in the Palestinian territories.

“The Palestinian Christians are now only 168,000 in the Holy Land, while there are over 4 million Palestinian Christians all over the world. That by itself shows how much pressure there is on the Christians,” he noted.

Canawati, himself a Christian, explained that by law, the mayor of Bethlehem must be Christian, a provision upheld by Palestinian leaders “because they want to preserve the Christian community, the oldest Christian community in the world that lives in Bethlehem, in the Holy Land, in Palestine.”

Yet many are still leaving. “It breaks my heart for anybody to leave Bethlehem,” he said, noting that in the past year alone, over 1000 Christians got approval “for their immigration to Canada, the United States and other countries.”

Collapse of tourism and the economy

Bethlehem’s economy, dependent on pilgrimage and hospitality, has been devastated since the outbreak of war on 7 October 2023.

“Now, after 7 of October, we have a drop, a deep drop down to 0%. All of the hotels, that’s 84 hotels, are totally closed. The souvenir shops, the workshops that produce the beautiful olive woodwork, the mother of pearl and the jewellery that we produce in Bethlehem are closed. Totally closed,” Canawati said.

He described soaring unemployment. “The unemployment rate jumped from 14 to 65% and as you know, people are denied access work within the Israeli areas.”

More than 120,000 Bethlemites, he said, used to work outside the city, “some of them had loans, and now they don’t have even to put bread on their table.”

Water

Water scarcity and restricted movement further exacerbate the situation, choking the people. Canawati explained that water is rationed as Palestinians in Bethlehem are not allowed to dig and take their own water: “We buy our water from the Israelis, and they only sell us one fifth of what a person would need per day.”

“Some areas in Bethlehem don’t get water for 50 days, 60 days,” the mayor lamented, adding that over 134 barriers and checkpoints – even inside the city – hinder movement, depriving people not only of their freedom, but of the means to provide for their families and build a future.

Appeal for solidarity and hope

Maher Canawati said the surge of solidarity that he has recently experienced in Italy and in other nations makes a tangible difference: “I think this gives more hope to the people, that there is someone caring about us, and they haven’t forgotten about us.”

He pointed to the support of the Latin Patriarchate and local clergy as “the best hope for now that we’re getting in Bethlehem.”

As for how the global community can help, he appealed for support to local organisations: “To support the people so they don’t leave. And that is the most important thing that we’re trying to do right now.”

August 1, 2025

Bethlehem and Cologne: Meeting to Strengthen International Cooperation and Reaffirm Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

Bethlehem Mayor Maher Nicola Canawati received Ms. Gemma, Director of the Bethlehem-Cologne Friendship Association, in the presence of Municipal Council Member Hisham Al-Kamel and the Public Relations and Media Team. This visit comes within the framework of strengthening the historical relationship between Bethlehem and the German city of Cologne, which is based on friendship and mutual cooperation in various fields.
During the meeting, Ms. Gemma expressed her solidarity with the Palestinian people, stressing that the suffering they are experiencing, especially in the Gaza Strip, is unacceptable and requires effective international action.
For his part, Canawati stressed the importance of international cooperation in conveying the voice of Palestine to the world, emphasizing that Bethlehem is not just a city of peace, but rather represents a human conscience that must be strongly present in the face of the ongoing injustice to which Palestine is subjected.

August 1, 2025

Bethlehem Municipality receives a delegation from the Hungarian Representative Office and briefs them on the current situation.

Bethlehem Mayor Maher Nicola Canawati received a delegation from the Hungarian Representation to the State of Palestine, including Hungarian Representative Gabor Diksazzi, Deputy Representative Ms. Christina Tóth, and Honorary Consul of Hungary to Palestine Dr. Nassar Khamis. The meeting was attended by the municipality’s public relations and media staff.
At the beginning of the meeting, Canawati welcomed the visiting delegation and gave a presentation on the current political and economic situation in Palestine in general, and in the city of Bethlehem in particular. He highlighted the growing challenges facing the Palestinian people, including high unemployment rates and the worsening phenomenon of migration.
He pointed to the crises facing the city, including fuel shortages, which have negatively impacted the municipality’s ability to provide basic services, such as waste collection. He also stressed the urgent need to open new roads in the city to alleviate traffic congestion, which has become a daily struggle for citizens. The Mayor emphasized the importance of promoting Bethlehem as a safe and stable destination, calling for increased visits by international delegations, given their positive impact in supporting the resilience of the city and its residents. He also called on the Hungarian representative to share his experience in Bethlehem with the Hungarian community, to emphasize the city’s stability and security.
Canawati discussed the twinning relations between Bethlehem and the Hungarian cities of Kalusza and Budapest, emphasizing the importance of revitalizing these relations through joint projects that contribute to supporting and developing the city.
For his part, the Hungarian representative, Mr. Gabor Dikszasi, expressed his appreciation for the warm welcome, emphasizing that the visit aims to gain a closer understanding of the political and economic reality in Palestine and the daily challenges facing Bethlehem. He also expressed his willingness to support efforts to revitalize relations with the Hungarian twin cities and enhance joint cooperation in various fields.

August 1, 2025

Bethlehem Municipality receives a delegation from the House of Hope Association

Bethlehem Mayor Maher Nicola Canawati received a delegation from the Beit Al-Hoja Association – Bethlehem, which included Chairman of the Administrative Board, Mr. Manawil Abu Ali; Director of the Association, Mr. Yousef Salti; Vice President, Mr. Nasri Azar; and Board Member, Bishop Naim Khoury.
The delegation congratulated Canawati on his appointment as Mayor, wishing him success in his duties. They prayed to God to grant him wisdom in serving humanity and promoting the values of love and justice in the city.
For his part, Canawati expressed his gratitude for this generous visit, appreciating the community role played by the association, and emphasizing the importance of cooperation between local institutions to enhance municipal work and advance the city of Bethlehem.

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