Several Palestinian rioters greeted the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal with a shower of rocks during his Christmas visit to Bethlehem.

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal was greeted by thousands of worshippers on his arrival in Manger Square in Bethlehem where he celebrated the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day mass attended by Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. 

The Times of Israel reported that the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal, who is also the Head of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land was visiting Bethlehem last Friday, Dec. 25, Christmas Day, when the car he was riding in was attacked by a swarm of Palestinian demonstrators who threw rocks aimed specifically at him. Luckily, only the car he was in sustained damages as the patriarch and the other passengers with him inside the vehicle were unharmed.

During the Christmas Eve ceremony held at the spot where the Virgin Mary was said to have given birth to the baby Jesus -- the Church of Nativity -- as per Yahoo! News, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem commemorated and prayed for compassion for the refugees of the world.

According to the Latin American Herald Tribune, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal, spoke to a large crowd made up of pilgrims from all over the world who travelled to the Holy Land as well as the thousands of Palestinians. He thought of the "millions of refugees living in camps and slums," who suffered from the harsh cold climate and also recollected "heartbreaking incidents" that occurred throughout the whole world in the recent past.

Fouad Twal said, "We are sad to say that we have lost our humanity and spiritual values. Religion has become a motive to kill in God's name, rather than a motivation for empathy and fraternity. In this day and time, we suffer from lack of compassion in our hearts."

To summarize, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal's message was of love and peace amid heightened violence in the area.

Meanwhile, following the departure of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal in Bethlehem, Jesus Christ's birthplace, Israeli security forces clashed with Palestinian rioters. In addition, two suspected Islamic radicals were arrested by Palestinian security forces in the northern West Bank for putting a Christmas tree on fire.

The suspects were also placed under scrutiny for possible involvement with Islamist extremist groups.