ROME – 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.

The Nativity, designed by two artists from the Dar al-Kalima University in Bethlehem, was described by the Palestine Chronicle as “a poignant nod to the Palestinian struggle,” yet received blowback from the Israeli and Jewish communities.

Referring to Jesus’s own historical Jewish roots, having been born to Jewish parents in what was then the Roman province of Judea, one online commentator wrote, “Does the pope think Jesus wasn’t a Jew either? Did he even read the Bible?”

Another discontented user said on social media platform X, previously known as Twitter, that, “The pope is exploiting Christmas to advance the ridiculous effort to rebrand Jesus as Palestinian rather than what He was – a Jew who fulfilled the Old Testament prophecy of a Messiah.”

The backlash began after the pope on Dec. 7 met with the donors of this year’s Christmas tree and Nativity scene displayed in St. Peter’s Square.

While the Nativity scene was crafted in the northern Italian city of Grado, in the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, the 95-foot spruce tree comes from Ledro, in the Trentino region.

During Saturday’s audience, the pope called for an end to war and conflict, asking believers to “remember the brothers and sisters, who, right there [in Bethlehem] and in other parts of the world, are suffering from the tragedy of war.”

“Enough war, enough violence!” he said, and lamented the commercial arms trade, saying the weapons industry “earns money to kill.”

Called the “Nativity of Bethlehem 2024,” the scene was displayed in the Vatican’s Paul VI audience hall and was designed by Palestinian artists Johny Andonia and Faten Nastas Mitwasi, standing nearly 10 feet tall and crafted from olive trees in the Holy Land.

Its creation and donation to the Vatican was organized by the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine, an entity of the Palestine Liberation Organization, as well as the Palestinian Embassy to the Holy See and several other local organizations in Bethlehem.

When the scene was unveiled during Saturday’s audience in the Vatican’s Paul VI audience hall, the infant Jesus was resting upon a traditional Palestinian head dress, called a keffiyeh, leading many to interpret the gesture as a political statement on the part of the Holy See.

Ramzi Khouri, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee, in a press release conveyed the “warm greetings” of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and expressed “deep gratitude for the pope’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause and his tireless efforts to end the war on Gaza and promote justice.”

Pope Francis has repeatedly condemned the war in Gaza since it erupted following an Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas militants on Israel, leaving some 1,200 people dead and over 250 others taken as hostages.

So far, the violence has led to the deaths of over 40,000 people and has caused massive damage to the infrastructure in Gaza, including its healthcare system, while access to humanitarian aid remains limited.

The pope at times has referred to the war as “immoral,” and top aides have questioned Israel’s retaliation, calling its military response disproportionate.

Last month, excerpts were published from a book containing interviews with the pope that will be published in the new year by La Stampa in which Francis referred to the war in Gaza as a “genocide.”

In the excerpts, he called for an investigation to determine whether Israel’s actions in Gaza can be classed as genocide, while in November the United Nations Special Committee announced that it had found Israel’s actions in Gaza to be consistent with genocide.

Pope Francis, who has also met with the families of Israeli hostages and repeatedly called for their immediate release, has also criticized Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon as going “beyond morality.”

The Nativity scene unveiled on Saturday, and which has now been removed from the Paul VI audience hall, consisted of the figures of the infant Jesus resting in a manger in front of his parents Mary and Joseph, carved from a single olive tree.

Carving statues and religious scenes from olive wood has been a pillar of the Holy Land’s economic and cultural identity for centuries.

The Star of Bethlehem that hung above the scene was made from mother of pearl and was distinguished for an ornamentation brought to Bethlehem by Franciscan monks from Damascus in the 15th century.

Sitting above the infant Jesus, the star was encircled by an inscription in both Latin and Arabic reading, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill to all people.”

Sheep in the scene were made of wood hand crafted by children from Ma’n Lilhayt, a Catholic charity providing employment opportunities for disabled individuals.

A Vatican spokesman did not respond to a Crux request for comment on the presence of the Nativity scene in the Paul VI Hall, and whether it represented a political statement on the part of the Holy See.

Follow Elise Ann Allen on X: @eliseannallen