On the Third Sunday of Advent, or Gaudete Sunday, while celebrating the Jubilee for Prisoners, the Pope emphasized that it is always possible to start again, and he called for hope in Jesus, whose birth is just a few days away. The anticipation for Christmas is already evident in the nativity scenes, representations of the Nativity of the Lord, which fill the Vatican and the Catholic world.
If Saturday's news was Pope Leo XIV's audience with Lithuanian Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas and the participants who would bring the ’Living Nativity Scene’ of Santa Maria Maggiore to life, today sees the opening of the nativity scene and the lighting of the tree in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican.
The ceremony is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. and will be presided over by Sister Raffaella Petrini, President of the Governorate of Vatican City State, together with Archbishop Emilio Nappa and Giuseppe Puglisi-Alibrandi, Secretaries General of the same entity. The nativity scenes and the tree will remain on display until the end of Christmas, which coincides with the feast of the Baptism of the Lord on Sunday, January 11, 2026.
Italian municipalities and Costa Rican pro-life artist
On Monday morning, Pope Leo XIV will receive delegations from the dioceses of Bolzano-Bressanone and Nocera Inferiore-Sarno, led by their respective bishops, because the fir tree comes from the diocese of Bolzano-Bressanone, and the nativity scene from the diocese of Nocera Inferiore-Sarno.
There will also be representatives from the civil sphere. The municipalities of Lagundo and Ultimo, and those from the Agro Nocerino-Sarnese area. A delegation from Costa Rica, creator of ‘Nacimiento Gaudium’, was present during the visit to the Pope.’, work by Costa Rican artist Paula Sáenz Soto, in the Paul VI Hall. The work emphasizes the message of peace at Christmas and calls on the world to protect life from conception.
Nativity scene inspired by Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori
The nativity scene in St. Peter's Square was designed and developed in Nocera Inferiore-Sarno. The scene is located in a 17 x 12 meter rectangle, with a maximum height of 7.70 meters, according to the Holy See. It features characteristic local elements and architectural elements inhabited by St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori and the Servants of God Don Enrico Smaldone and Alfonso Russo.
The pavement features ancient Roman roads made of stone slabs. Shepherds and life-size animal figures are anchored to it. The idea was to combine art and spirituality in an environment that evokes faith and tradition.
Live nativity scene at Santa María la Mayor
This Saturday, during an audience with the performers of the ‘Living Nativity Scene’ of Santa Maria Maggiore, the Pope encouraged them to spread this message and keep this tradition alive. “You are a gift of light for our world, which desperately needs to continue to have hope.”.
“The nativity scene is an important sign: it reminds us that we are part of a wonderful adventure of salvation in which we are never alone,” added Pope Leo, quoting St. Augustine.
The Pontiff recalled the origins of tradition. It was precisely the “Holy Crib,” an ancient relic, which, together with his journey to the Holy Land, inspired St. Francis, in 1223, to celebrate ‘Christmas at Greccio’ for the first time.
Depicting the Nativity of the Lord
“Since then, the custom of representing the Nativity of the Lord in various ways has spread throughout different parts of the world, depicting the God who ‘comes without weapons, without force, […] to conquer the pride, violence, and greed of man […] and guide us to our true identity’ (Benedict XVI, Catechesis, December 23, 2009).”.
The Pope also mentioned Pope Francis‘ Apostolic Letter ’Admirabile Signum“. Leo XIV said that, before the Nativity scene, ”as we contemplate the Christmas scene, we are invited to set out on a spiritual journey, drawn by the humility of the One who became man to meet every man.".
Exhibition ‘100 Nativity Scenes in the Vatican’
On Monday, December 8, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, the sample international exhibition ‘100 Presepi in Vaticano’ (100 Nativity Scenes in the Vatican), under Bernini's Colonnade, which will be open until January 8, 2026.
The pieces come from 32 countries and are made of glass, silk, paper, resin, and many other materials. Among them are many Europeans, such as Italy, France, Croatia, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, and Switzerland.
And they have also come from other parts of the world, such as the United States, Peru, Eritrea, Korea, Venezuela, Taiwan, Brazil, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Paraguay, and India.
The different nations are represented by their respective embassies to the Holy See, which have promoted the event in their own countries. Admission is free, with no reservation required.
Attack in Sydney leaves twelve dead and injured
As Christmas approaches, the wave of violence continues. Yesterday, two armed men attacked Jewish people attending an event celebrating the first day of Hanukkah in an apparent terrorist attack in Sydney, New South Wales police said, according to reports. OSV News.
At a press conference in Sydney on December 14, just hours after the shooting, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns told reporters that 12 people were dead, including one of the gunmen, and that 29 people were injured and taken to local hospitals at the time of writing.
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