New York marks poignant Christmas

Thanks were given that the fire had not been worse

Thousands of New Yorkers have been attending Christmas services at St Paul's chapel, just metres from Ground Zero, and at St John the Divine cathedral, which suffered a massive fire only a week ago.

St Paul's chapel - which has served as a 24-hour support centre for those working to recover bodies from the World Trade Center - opened to the public on Christmas Eve for the first time since 11 September.

Giuliani donned a Salvation Army smock to serve food at Ground Zero

As worshippers filed into the chapel on Christmas day, recovery workers lay sleeping next to the pulpit, exactly 15 weeks since the suicide attacks which left an estimated 3,000 dead.

Reverend Lyndon Harris attempted to inject a message of hope: "It's Christmas at Ground Zero, and St Paul's Chapel is in some way a manger."

"The message of Christmas is that the Creator of the universe loves us so much nothing - absolutely nothing - can separate us from His love.

"Not even terrorists can come between us and God's all-transforming love for each and every one of us. God is here, to hug us, as we hug one another," he told worshippers.

Symbolic catastrophe

Meanwhile in north-west Manhattan, Christmas Mass was celebrated with the smell of smoke still lingering in the air.

Well, it's the holidays - you're supposed to be with your family. This is my family

Fireman at Ground Zero

Clean-up teams, including volunteers, had worked for a week to scrub the soot from the walls and mop up the water in time for Christmas.

Thanks were given that the destruction had not been worse - a gift shop and two 17th-century tapestries were destroyed in the blaze.

"The fire was a major catastrophe here, but minor in some ways and symbolic of what some people here in the city are going through," said cathedral vice president Stephen Facey.

That feeling was echoed across the city, particularly in lower Manhattan, where the recovery operation continued.

Donning a mask to protect himself from the against the toxic fumes still emanating from the ruins of the twin towers, a veteran fireman left his pew in St Paul's chapel to resume the search for bodies.

"Well, it's the holidays - you're supposed to be with your family. This is my family," the veteran fireman told the BBC's Malcolm Brabant.

Back at Ground Zero, work only paused for a brief Christmas dinner with Mayor Rudolph Giuliani inside a Salvation Army tent.