The overwhelming smell of urine was the first thing to hit visitors to Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity after the dramatic and bloody 39-day siege of the compound by the Israeli army. I can't believe this is the house of God, just look at it The people found dirty dishes piled up on an altar and filthy blankets and the detritus of the siege strewn across the ancient stone floor. As well as the blankets, journalists saw mattresses, lemon peel, lighters, sunglasses, a tube of toothpaste, a bottle of aftershave, plastic bags, cigarette butts, a comb and large cooking pots in the central aisle. A metal stove and gas canisters had been placed on one side for cooking. The panes of several windows near the ceiling were broken, but there appeared to be no other damage. Priests said some of the gunmen and foreign activists had initially slept there because it was the warmest spot, but had been persuaded to leave so that daily services could be held there. One priest complained that foreigners who had slipped in during the siege had desecrated the church by smoking and drinking alcohol."This is the place where Jesus was born. I can't believe this is the house of God, just look at it," said Sandy Shahin, a Roman Catholic teenager who rushed into the church minutes after the end of the siege on Friday. "It's not a church any more, it's a place filled with beds and trash," she said between sobs. Father Nicholas, a Franciscan priest from Mexico, denied Israeli claims that the several dozen nuns and priests who had stayed in the compound during the siege were hostages. "We were there by choice," he said, to protect the sanctity of the site. Having initially expropriated precious items such as candelabras, icons and candlesticks, Father Nicholas said the valuables were later returned. Israeli bomb experts swept the church at the request of some of the priests and said they found 40 explosive devices, several booby-trapped and hidden in corners and behind cupboards.