Letter to the German Mayor
The naming of the square in Bethlehem in 2002 in the presence of the late lamented bishop Monsignor Gerolamo Grillo together with the then representative of the Palestinian Authority in Italy, Nemer Hammad, was a moment of celebration for Civitavecchia through which our citizens expressed their closeness to the Palestinian people on the occasion of the end of the siege of the Basilica of the Nativity, the birthplace of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
With the passing of the years the toponymy sign did not pass the test of wear and tear caused by atmospheric agents, so that today the square is without the appropriate indication.
We therefore turn to you, Mr. Mayor, to urge, through your authority, those who have the duty to restore the toponymy sign of Piazzetta Bethlehem, a symbol of friendship between our city and Bethlehem, to which we are linked for 22 years by a twinning, the annual object of celebration by the Diocese of Civitavecchia – Tarquinia together with the New World Community.
The Committee May 14 offers its availability, if it is appreciated, to realize at its own expense a special plaque that we will donate to the City to be installed in the square according to current regulations.
Thanks to the special sign, with a possible commemorative plaque indicating the circumstances of the denomination, Piazzetta Bethlehem would recover, in addition to a due and corresponding toponymic signage, the original symbolic value having the function of remembering the brotherhood between Civitavecchia and Bethlehem but above all to keep our word as a city in front of the Palestinian authorities with whom this area was inaugurated.
