IRLAND, December 23, 2006 (WAFA)- Bishop Raymond Field, chair of the Irish Commission for Justice and Social Affairs called on Congregations at Catholic churches to realize the plight of those living in the West Bank city of Bethlehem at Christmas Mass, The Irish Times reported.

In a statement, Field said that the birthplace of Jesus has been transformed from a "bustling cultural and spiritual centre" to "a big prison and slammed Israeli policy in the Palestinian Territories.

"Illegal settlements, coercion and the controversial West Bank security wall makes it extremely difficult for Palestinian Christians from East Jerusalem to pray at the Church of the Nativity," according to the statement.

It said Christians in Bethlehem wanting to attend Sunday mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, it is even more difficult because Bethlehem residents are not allowed visit Jerusalem without permission from the Israeli army.

"The age old link between Bethlehem and Jerusalem - its spiritual, cultural and economic lifeline - has effectively been severed as a result of the erection of the separation wall and the expansion of illegal settlements on land acquired by coercion," the statement says.

The statement also noted that almost 10 per cent of the Christian population of Bethlehem have emigrated since 2000 and that the decline of Christians throughout Holy Land is more pronounced.

"This development means that the birth place of Jesus, home to the oldest Christian church and the oldest Christian communities in the world, will have nothing left of its history other than the cold stones of empty churches within a few generations," the statement concluded.

M.H.(12:15 P)(10:15 GMT)