Vatican City, Dec 9, 2016 / 11:21 am (CNA/EWTN News).- As Christmas approaches, the Nativity scenes found in churches and homes around the world bid us to make room for Jesus both in our lives and in society, Pope Francis said shortly before the lighting of the Christmas tree in St. Peter’s Square Friday.
On Dec. 9, a massive 82-foot tree from the Dolomites was lit in St. Peter’s Square, next to the nearly life-size Nativity scene, donated to the Vatican by the Archdiocese of Malta and designed by local artists.
An artist from the island of Gozo named Manwel Gretch created the sketch chosen for the Nativity, which depicts the Maltese countryside. The 17 characters in the Nativity, animals excluded, are dressed in typical Maltese clothing and holding tools and instruments.
The Nativity scenes found “in churches, in homes and in many public places are an invitation to make room in our lives and society for God, hidden in the face of so many people who are in conditions of hardship, poverty and tribulation,” the Pope said during a meeting with the artist of the scene and a delegation from Malta and Trentino.
In his speech, the Pope referred to the presence in the scene of the traditional “Cross of Malta” and typical Maltese archipelago boat, representing not only the island’s tradition, fishing and life, but also the reality faced by thousands of migrants when risking their lives to sail in makeshift boats to Italy.
Their experiences can be compared to that of the child Jesus, Francis noted, who didn’t have a place to sleep at his birth, and soon after had to flee to Egypt with his parents to escape the threat of Herod.
How many people “will visit this Nativity scene,” he said, “will be invited to rediscover the symbolic value, which is a message of fraternity, of sharing, of welcome and solidarity.”
“The Nativity scene and the tree thus form a message of hope and love, and help to create a favorable Christmas spirit to live with faith the mystery of the birth of the Redeemer,” the Pope said.
God “came to earth in simplicity and meekness. Let us be drawn, with the intention of children, in front of the manger, because that is where we understand the goodness of God and contemplate his mercy, which was made human flesh in order to soften our gaze.”
Article Archive
As Vatican lights Christmas tree, Pope reflects on Nativity scene
Related Articles • More Articles
Pope Francis on May 7, 2024, appointed Father James Mark Beckman, 61, a priest of the Diocese of Nashville, as the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville. / Credit: Diocese of NashvilleRome Newsroom, May 7, 2024 / 11:50 am (CNA).Pope Francis on Tuesday appointed a new bishop to the Diocese of Knoxville, Tennessee, following former Bishop Richard Stika's resignation last year. The Holy See Press Office announced that Father James Mark Beckman, 61, will be installed as the new bishop of the diocese. The installation will occur in July. The bishopric since June 2023 has been under the care of Louisville Archbishop Shelton Fabre, who has served as apostolic administrator following Stika's departure that month.Beckman, a Tennessee native, has been a priest with the Diocese of Nashville since his ordination on July 13, 1990. He received a bachelor's degree in history from St. Ambrose College in 1984 and a master's degree in religious studies from the Catholic University ...
Singer-songwriter Garth Brooks (left), former NFL quarterback Tom Brady (right), and other celebrity guests will meet Pope Francis in an audience at Apostolic Palace on May 11, 2024, as participants in the Vatican's World Meeting on Human Fraternity. / Credit: SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images; Daniel Ibañez/CNA; TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty ImagesRome Newsroom, May 7, 2024 / 12:30 pm (CNA).Garth Brooks may have friends in low places, but this Saturday he will perform at a high-level Vatican event with Nobel Peace Prize winners, business leaders, and professional athletes, including former NFL quarterback Tom Brady.Brady, Brooks, and other celebrity guests will meet Pope Francis in an audience at the Apostolic Palace on the morning of May 11 as participants in the Vatican's World Meeting on Human Fraternity.It will be the second time that the longtime quarterback for the New England Patriots has met a pope. Brady met John Paul II in 2004 after winning the Super Bowl.Brady...
null / Credit: © Mazur/catholicnews.org.ukACI Africa, May 7, 2024 / 13:32 pm (CNA).Catholic dioceses in Uganda have been notified of a limited stock of wine for Masses due to delays in shipping. In an April 30 letter to financial administrators of Uganda's various episcopal sees, the leadership of J.W. Interservices Ltd., a company under the auspices of the Uganda Episcopal Conference that is involved in the procurement and shipment of wine alongside other goods and services, provided details of the altar wine shortage. "This is to inform you that due to the Middle East wars, the ship's usual passage through the Mediterranean and the Red Sea were suspended and canceled," wrote Father Asiku Alfred Tulu, the director of J.W. Interservices Ltd."The ships have been diverted to take longer and safer routes through the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean, which has caused a major crisis and delays of their arrival to Mombasa Port [Kenya]," Tulu explained.The diversion of the ship...