One of the Vatican's Nativity scenes raised eyebrows when it was unveiled because it featured a keffiyeh, the Palestinian headscarf.

The appearance of a keffiyeh on a Palestinian-made nativity scene at the Vatican caused a stir. So did its sudden disappearance.

After the display raised a few eyebrows, the Vatican appears to have removed a Nativity scene that showed baby Jesus lying on a keffiyeh, the traditional scarf used as a national symbol by Palestinians that anti-Israel activists have donned at their protests.

Pope Francis presided over his weekly general audience Wednesday alongside a Palestinian-crafted Nativity scene that was missing its eyebrow-raising signature element: a keffiyeh-draped manger holding the infant Jesus.

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.

Pope Francis created an uproar when he was seen with a controversial nativity scene at the Vatican over the weekend. The wooden display showed the baby Jesus lying on a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf. The 87-year-old pontiff was seen on Saturday afternoon praying before the nativity display while sitting in a wheelchair.

A keffiyeh used to swaddle Jesus at a Vatican nativity scene has been removed but "Christ in the Rubble" scenes remain popular worldwide.

In 2024, Pope Francis presented a Nativity scene displayed at the Vatican that featured baby Jesus wrapped in a kaffiyeh, a traditional Palestinian scarf.

Broadcaster Kel Richards questions the “bizarre” decision from the Vatican to display a Nativity scene with baby Jesus lying on a keffiyeh.