Muslims and Christians join hands to rebuild Bethlehem church

Palestinian Muslims and Christians are working hand in hand to restore an ancient church in Bethlehem.

According to the report by Christian Today, the Church of the Nativity, which was built by Saint Helena in the fourth century, has finished the first phase of its renovation.

The renovation of the church, which is believed to be located on the spot where Jesus Christ was born, was agreed upon by a Palestinian committee because it was becoming increasingly damaged over time. 

The roof was broken so whenever it rains, the water damages some of the church's mosaics and paintings. Fortunately, the first phase of the renovation included fixing the roof, and renovating the building's artworks.

"For the first time you can see, when you go up, mosaics really magnificent and beautiful and unique in the whole world," said Ziad al-Bandak who is the team leader of the committee.

For centuries, there were already attempts to fix and renovate the church building. However, the tension among the three Christian denominations - Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Armenian Church - delayed the renovation time and again.

In history, it was believed that whoever renovates or fixes a particular portion of the church building would own it.

Due to the stalemate among the three groups, the Palestinian authority intervened and carried out a renovation campaign for the Church of the Nativity. It reportedly wanted the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to recognize the location as a heritage site.

After the first phase of renovation, al-Bandak said that the international team has already spent $8 million, while another $11 million is expected to be used for the remaining phases of restoration that will span three years.

Even President Mahmoud Abbas told al-Bandak to push through with the renovation of the church.

"This is a holy place and money will come," the president reportedly told him.