Vatican's 2025 Christmas tree installed in St. Peter's Square
Catholic News Agency |
27 November 2025
Workers erect the Vatican’s 2025 Christmas tree in St. Peter’s Square on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025 / Credit: Vatican Media
Vatican City, Nov 27, 2025 / 14:30 pm (CNA).
A towering Christmas tree now stands in the center of St. Peter’s Square, after the spruce arrived at the Vatican on Thursday morning.
The 88-foot-tall spruce tree from Italy’s Bolzano province was erected next to the ancient Egyptian obelisk which stands in the middle of the 17th century Baroque square designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
This year, the northern Italian municipalities of Lagundo and Ultimo gifted the Christmas tree to the Vatican. The tree was harvested in the alpine valley of Ultimo.
In an Oct. 20 interview published on the Vatican State website, Bishop Ivo Muser of the Diocese of Bolzano-Bressanone said the tree reaffirms the local church’s “spiritual and emotional bond” with the pope.
“It is a way of saying: ‘We are with you, Pope Leo; we wish to pray with you and share the joy of Christmas with you,” he said.
“The tree thus becomes an ‘ambassador’ of our territory, our culture, and our faith — a way of bringing a small piece of our local Church into the heart of the universal Church,” he added.
The Vatican’s large-scale nativity display — donated by the Italian Diocese of Nocera Inferiore-Sarno — is currently under construction behind covered fencing in St. Peter’s Square.
The highly-awaited 2025 nativity scene will honor St. Alphonus Maria de Liguori, whose remains lay in the southern Italian diocese. In Italy, St. Alponsus is famous for composing the famous Italian Christmas carol “Tu scendi dalle stelle” (“From starry skies descending”).
Bishop Giuseppe Giudice of the Diocese of Nocera Inferiore-Sarno said the nativity project for the Vatican, which involved a “long period of preparation,” will also showcase local Neapolitan Christmas traditions.
“I am happy to say that everyone working on the project is from our wonderful region, and the Nativity scene will be rich in elements typical of our local Agro nocerino-sarnese area,” he said in an Oct. 24 interview published by Vatican City State.
The Vatican will hold a special ceremony on Dec. 7 at 6:30 pm local time to present the Christmas tree and nativity scene to the public. The display will be open to the public until mid-January 2026.
At least eleven killed in Australia shooting during Jewish festival
Officials believe two men were involved in a shooting at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia.
By Nathan Morley
At least eleven people have been killed and several others wounded in a shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach during a Jewish holiday celebration. Though investigations continue, police believe two men were involved in the shooting. One of the dead is thought to have been a gunman, while another suspect is in critical condition.
Investigators are examining whether a possible third assailant may have been involved. Authorities said an improvised explosive device was found at the scene but did not detonate. Officials described the situation as an ongoing police operation.
Meanwhile, the head of Australia’s Jewish community council called the attack “a tragedy that was predictable.” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised emergency workers and described the mass shooting as “shocking and distressing,” noting that such incidents are rare in Australia. “The evil unleashed today at Bondi Beach is beyond comprehension,” he said.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Jewish people who had gone to light the first candle of the Hanukkah holiday had been attacked by "vile terrorists".
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on X that “deeply distressing news is reaching us from Australia,” adding that the United Kingdom sends condolences to all those affected by the “horrific attack.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also expressed condolences, condemning violence and antisemitism and calling the assault a source of “deep sorrow.” She said Italy stands with the victims, their families, the Jewish community and the Australian people.
The German-Israeli Society said it was “deeply shaken” by the deadly attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney, expressing solidarity with Jewish communities worldwide. “Our thoughts are with the victims and their families. We stand in solidarity with Jewish communities everywhere,” society president Volker Beck said in a statement. “Even though many details still need to be investigated, one thing is already clear: antisemitism kills.”
*Numbers as of 14:00 Rome time
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Pope: Jesus’ words ‘free us from the prison of despair’
After celebrating Mass for the Jubilee of Prisoners, Pope Leo delivers his Angelus address for the third Sunday of Advent, saying that Christian joy endures "when life seems to lose its meaning and everything appears darker.”
By Jean-Paul Kamba, SJ
“A prophet, even in chains, retains the ability to use his voice in the pursuit of truth and justice."
Evoking John the Baptist, who was imprisoned for his preaching, Pope Leo XIV opened his Sunday Angelus reflection with this powerful image. Even from behind bars, he continued to hope and to question. John thus became a sign that the Word of God cannot be silenced, even when prophets are deprived of freedom.
From his prison cell, Pope Leo said, John the Baptist hears of the works accomplished by Jesus. Yet these works do not correspond to what he had expected. Hence his question: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we wait for another?” A question that echoes across the centuries and reaches all those “who seek truth and justice, those who long for freedom and peace,” and who continue to question Jesus.
Christ's self-revelation
In response, Jesus does not offer a theoretical definition of his identity. He invites people to look at what he does. “It is the least among us, the poor, the sick, who speak for him,” the Holy Father stressed, noting that the Messiah is recognizable by his deeds, which are visible signs of salvation at work: “The blind see, the mute speak, the deaf hear.”
Even the image of God, disfigured by illness and exclusion, is restored to wholeness. Even the dead themselves—“completely unresponsive”—are raised to life. This, the Pope insisted, is the heart of the Gospel: “When God comes into the world, you can see it!”
The crowd gathered in St Peter's Square for the Angelus (@Vatican Media)
Freed from discouragement
“The words of Jesus free us from the prison of despair and suffering. Every prophecy finds its expected fulfillment in Him."
Angelus
It is Christ, the Pope continued, who opens humanity’s eyes to the glory of God—God who “gives a voice to the oppressed, from whom violence and hatred have taken away their voice; who overcomes the ideology that makes people deaf to the truth; and who heals the illusions that distort the body.”
Advent: a time of waiting and attentiveness
During this Advent season, the Pope invited the faithful to unite two fundamental attitudes: “waiting for the Savior" and "attentiveness to what God is doing in the world".
“Gaudete in Domino semper.” The Holy Father also recalled the meaning of the third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday—the Sunday of joy. This is a joy that does not allow one to avoid trials, but rather one that endures “especially when life seems to lose its meaning and everything appears darker.”
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Pope Leo calls for end to violence in Democratic Republic of Congo
During the Sunday Angelus Pope Leo appeals for those fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo to stop the violence which has broken out and return to constructive dialogue. He also remembers the newly beatified martyrs in two separate beatifications in Spain and in France on Saturday 13 December.
Vatican News
Pope Leo has expressed his "deep concern" over the renewed fighting in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Speaking at the conclusion of the Sunday Angelus in Saint Peter's Square, the Pope expressed his closeness to the people and urged the parties involved in the conflict to "cease all forms of violence and to seek constructive dialogue, respecting the ongoing peace process."
In Uvira, a strategic city in eastern Congo, regional officials reported a new deadly offensive that killed over 400 people and displaced around another 200,000 - just days after the city fell into the hands of the M23 group, supported by Rwanda. This occurred despite the recent peace agreement brokered by the United States.
Newly beatified martyrs
The Pope also spoke about two beatifications that took place the preceding day in Spain and in France. In Jaén, Spain, Father Emanuele Izquierdo and fifty-eight companions were beatified, together with Father Antonio Montañés Chiquero and sixty-four companions. The Holy Father recalled how all of them were killed in hatred of the faith during the religious persecution from 1936-38.
Pope Leo then mentioned Fr. Raymond Cayré, Gérard-Martin Cendrier of the Order of Friars Minor, seminarian Roger Vallé, layman Jean Mestre, and forty-six companions who were beatified in Paris on 13 December. They also were killed in hatred of the faith in 1944-45 during the Nazi occupation. The Pope invited everyone to give praise to the Lord for these martyrs, "courageous witnesses to the Gospel, persecuted and killed for remaining close to their people and faithful to the Church."
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During his homily on the Sunday of the Jubilee of Prisoners, Pope Leo XIV challenges both inmates and those responsible for the prisons to hold on to hope and he reminds everyone “that no human being is defined only by his or her actions and that justice is always a process of reparation and reconciliation.”
By Kielce Gussie
On the third Sunday of Advent, also known as Gaudete Sunday, Pope Leo XIV celebrated Holy Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. In his homily, the Holy Father reflected on the word “Gaudete”. He explained the “joy” of this Sunday reminds us of "the bright dimension of waiting: the trust that something beautiful, something joyful, will happen.”
14 December also marked the Jubilee of Hope for prisoners and all those who work in prisons. Pope Leo recalled that 26 December last year, his predecessor Pope Francis opened the Holy Door inside Rome's Rebibbia prison, urging his listeners to "throw open the doors of your heart.”
On that occasion, Pope Francis also urged everyone to be generous “workers of justice and charity in the environments where we live.”
There is still hope
With the Jubilee Year of Hope coming to a close, Pope Leo stressed that, despite efforts that have been made, “much remains to be done in the prison world.” He acknowledged the prisons are challenging environments, and “even the best intentions may encounter many obstacles.”
Yet, he argued it is specifically for this reason that we must all avoid growing tired or discouraged. Rather, the Holy Father stressed that we must persevere. “Many still fail to understand that from every fall, one must be able to rise again,” Pope Leo explained. “No human being is defined by what they have done, and justice is always a process of repair and reconciliation.”
Pope Leo incenses the statue of Our Lady with the Child Jesus in St. Peter's Basilica (@VATICAN MEDIA)
If we create and keep safe spaces for sensitivity, attention to others’ needs, respect, mercy and forgiveness to flourish—even in the most difficult times—“beautiful flowers bloom, and even within the prison walls, unique gestures, projects, and encounters mature in their humanity.”
This is essential for those living without their freedom, the Pope stressed, but it is also important for those who represent justice for inmates. This Jubilee “is a call to conversion, and precisely for this reason, it is a source of hope and joy.”
Keep compassion at the center
To achieve this, it is necessary to first look to Jesus, His humanity, and His Kingdom as reminders that miracles can happen through extraordinary interventions by God. However, Pope Leo highlighted, “more often they are entrusted to us, to our compassion, our attention, our wisdom, and the responsibility of our communities and institutions.”
He noted how we are all also called to foster, in all areas—and, today, particularly in prisons—a society rooted in new values, with a strong focus on compassion.
For this reason, the Holy Father pointed out how Pope Francis wanted this Holy Year to offer “forms of amnesty or remission of penalties might be granted to help people regain trust in themselves and in society”.
We are never alone
The day’s Gospel touched on the biblical origin of the Jubilee—a year of grace where everyone was given the chance to start fresh. The passage reflected on St. John the Baptist, who encouraged people to convert and be baptized. He was frank and upright, but also merciful and understanding.
Pope Leo acknowledged the difficult task God entrusts to both inmates and those responsible for prisons. He pointed out the numerous problems they are called to address: “overcrowding, the still insufficient commitment to ensuring stable educational programs for rehabilitation, and work opportunities.”
Holy Mass presided over by Pope Leo XIV
Yet, on a deeper level, there are also issues of working through the weight of the past, wounds to be healed, disappointments, the patience required with oneself to achieve these steps, and the temptation to give up. While these challenges might feel overwhelming and difficult, God offers encouragment in the Scriptures. He repeats “that no one be lost” and that all “may be saved”.
“This is what our God desires, this is His Kingdom, and this is what His work in the world aims for”, the Holy Father stressed.
With Christmas drawing near, Pope Leo invited everyone to work toward this dream, reminding them that, even in the greatest difficulties, “we are not alone: the Lord is near, He walks with us, and with Him by our side, something beautiful and joyful will always happen.”
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Cambodia: In the midst of conflict, the youth call for peace
After conflict reignited between Cambodia and Thailand earlier this month, the Apostolic Prefect of Battambang, Cambodia highlights how the local community is using the Advent season to place their uncertain situation in God’s hands whilst the young people join in Pope Leo's call for peace.
By Kielce Gussie
Violent clashes continue on both sides of the Thailand-Cambodia border. In the early hours of Saturday 13 December 2025, both sides reported ongoing bombing and artillery exchanges. At least 21 people have been killed and 700,000 evacuated on both sides since the fighting restarted in early December.
Fr. Enrique Figaredo Alvargonzález, Apostolic Prefect of Battambang, Cambodia, described the situation as being “a moment of great tension”, recounting how “people are very afraid, and over 200,000 Cambodian refugees have been displaced.”
People rest at a temporary camp for displaced people set up at a former market in Banteay Meanchey province (AFP or licensors)
But, according to the Vatican's Fides news agency, he noted that “Pope Leo's call for peace, during the audience on December 10, has given us great comfort and hope.”
What’s going on?
The two countries have been marked by conflict for more than 100 years as sovereignty has been debated after France—which occupied Cambodia until 1953—originally drew the border in 1907.
The violence escalated in the summer this year after a Cambodian soldier was killed and both governments responded: Thailand with harsher border restrictions and Cambodia with a ban on Thai films and the import of Thai fruits, vegetables, gas and fuel.
Following a fragile peace deal brokered in October, tensions remained high and peace was replaced with violence on 7 December.
The latest clashes between the Southeast Asian neighbours, which stem from a long-running dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800-kilometre (500-mile) frontier, have displaced around half a million on both sides.
Fr. Figaredo described people’s concern and suffering as the local church offers comfort. Yet, he said people continue to ask the same question: Why the escalation has occurred? His argument is domestic politics. “Political dynamics are pushing the Thai military to seek, even through this war with an external enemy, a national glory that will restore unity to the country”, the Apostolic Prefect noted, “But even in Thailand, we see that the youth do not support this approach, and they are calling for peace.”
Christmas hope in the midst of great suffering
Fr. Figaredo recently made a visit to a refugee camp in the Banteay Meanchey province to bring humanitarian aid, moral, and spiritual support to the hundreds who have been displaced. He shared that the 800 people—women, elderly, the disabled, and children—at the camp expressed feeling abandoned and asked if the world knows of their suffering.
“For this reason, the Holy Father’s words are a sign of hope, as his appeal could be precious in the search for peace”, the Apostolic Prefect stressed. He highlighted that the local church in Cambodia is using this Advent season as a time to place their uncertain and insecure situation in God’s hands. They join in prayer in the midst of the suffering, which Fr. Figaredo said unites them “more in mutual communion and solidarity.”
Ahead of Jesus’ birth at Christmas, they remember that Christ came to give them peace and hope.
Conflict has a human face
With the escalation of violence on 7 December, the humanitarian impact has been huge: 13 civilians have been killed, 60 others injured, more than 190,000 people displaced from their homes. The provinces of Preah Vihear, Oddar Meanchey, Banteay Meanchey, Siem Reap, Battambang, and Pursat have all been bombed, targeted by drone-launched explosives, and faced airstrikes and tank assaults.
An armed Thai security forces personnel stands guard during clashes with Cambodian troops in Phanom Dong Rak district, Surin province, Thailand (ANSA)
As a result, Caritas Cambodia has been working together with the local authorities to provide aid and support for the thousands impacted across six provinces. Executive Director of Caritas Cambodia Kim Rattana reported how the organization is providing “food, water, education, protection, and psychosocial support to 3,200 families.”
Additionally, they have built 20 new camps those who displaced in the Preah Vihear, Siem Reap, Oddor Meanchey, and Banteay Meanchey provinces. Rattana explained how the camps offer “1,500 temporary shelters, food support, and sanitation services for 5,000 families, as well as psychosocial support and protection for children and adults.”
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50 Catholics martyred by the Nazis beatified in France
Three different groups of martyrs, nearly 200 in total, are beatified in celebrations in the Cathedrals of Jaen, Spain, and Notre Dame in Paris.
By Pierfrancesco Loreto
On Saturday, 13 December, two Masses were celebrated respectively in the Cathedral of Jaen in Spain and at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris for the beatification of Venerable Servants of God, men and women who gave their lives to remain faithful to Christ in times of persecution.
In the first instance, 124 martyrs of the Spanish Civil War were beatified in a celebration presided over by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.
As the Jaen Diocese itself recalls, these people made the ultimate sacrifice "for the love of Christ", and their example continues today to encourage the faith of the whole community.
Choosing the 124 martyrs has involved a research process that dates back to the 1990s and early 2000s. The object of the inquiries was to show that, in fact, they were killed solely on account of their faith, “and not for other motives,” the Delegate for the Cause of the Saints, Andres Najera, said.
"In a violent and aggressive world, with a lack of respect for ideologies and beliefs, the 124 [Servants of God] made a difference by affirming that violence is not the solution; the answer comes from forgiveness, and this is the lesson that the Gospel gives us. The world needs goodness", he added.
The Venerable Servants of God of the diocese of Jaén were killed in various places and at different times during the Spanish Civil War, which featured elements of cruel anti-Catholic persecution.
Artwork depicting the martyrs of Jaen
Two different groups of Martyrs beatified in Jaen
The beatifications celebrated in Spain concerned the martyrdom of diocesan priest Manuel Izquierdo Izquierdo and 58 companions; and the martyrdom of his colleague Antonio Montañés Chiquero and 64 associates, all killed between 1936 and 1937. The two groups were the subject of separate “causes” for canonization.
Revolutionaries moved by anti-religious and anti-Christian sentiments massacred numerous priests, religious, and laypeople, and looted churches and places of worship. The guerrillas' odium fidei, hatred of the faith, driven by atheistic propaganda, was amply demonstrated by the general violence against the Church, towards its ministers and many of its faithful.
The militia established a climate of persecution against all those who professed to be members of the Catholic Church, be they priests, consecrated persons, or lay people.
The leader of the martyrs of Jaén, Don Manuel Izquierdo Izquierdo, was particularly affected by the mistreatment and torture inflicted by the persecutors, and so was Don Manuel Valdivia Chica, whose hands were cut off before his death.
Despite the danger, the priests chose not to leave the parishes where they carried out their ministry to stay close to their congregation. Some of the priests, including Don Antonio Montañes Chiquero, asked to be killed last so that they could hear the confessions of the others and help them die a holy death.
The celebration in Paris for the French Blesseds
Later on Saturday, in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, Archbishop of Luxembourg, presided at the Mass of beatification of Raymond Cayré, diocesan priest; Gérard-Martin Cendrier, religious of the Order of Friars Minor; Roger Vallée, seminarian; Jean Mestre, layman, and 46 of their companions.
This Mass of collective beatification was the most important of its kind held in France.
The majority of these Catholics came from the Young Christian Workers (JOC) and died primarily in concentration camps where they had been sent because of their apostolate, an activity prohibited by the Hitler regime.
They were part of the "Mission Saint Paul", a form of clandestine chaplaincy set up by French bishops to provide spiritual assistance to young people requisitioned for the Compulsory Labor Service (STO), which involved between 600,000 and 650,000 workers.
That scheme was introduced on 16 February 1943 by the Vichy Regime to send a large number of French citizens to work in Germany and fill the places of Germans engaged at the front.
Many priests, religious and lay people belonging to Catholic associations covertly followed French workers sent to German territory to provide them with moral and spiritual support. As a result, they were arrested for subversive activity against the Third Reich, tortured and put to death mainly in the concentration camps of Buchenwald, Mauthausen, Dachau or Neuengamme.
Most died there, while others lost their lives due to the suffering they endured.
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Peace is a duty that unites humanity, Pope Leo tells diplomats
Speaking at the Jubilee for Italian Diplomacy, Pope Leo repeats the appeal of Paul VI for an end to war, and calls on diplomats to be men and women of dialogue.
By Christopher Wells
Pope Leo XIV highlighted the virtue of hope as “the name the will takes on when it firmly strives for the good and the justice it feels as lacking.”
In an address to Italian diplomats on the occasion of their Jubilee pilgrimage, the Pope stressed the importance of hope in diplomacy, saying “only those who truly hope always seek and support dialogue between parties, trusting in mutual understanding even in the face of difficulties and tensions.”
The Holy Father said that authentic diplomacy is distinguished from “self-interested calculations” or a “balance between rivals who hide their respective differences” precisely by the ability to reach sincere agreements.
In this respect, he urged diplomats to follow Jesus’ example of reconciliation and peace, which “shines as a hope for all peoples.” Jesus’ mediation between God and humanity, the Pope said, allows us to “experience in dialogue… the fundamental relationships of our existence.”
Pope Leo insisted on the importance of honesty in dialogue, both in keeping one’s word and in ensuring that one’s actions are consistent with what one says. This involves “educating” language “in the school of listening and dialogue.”
“To be authentic Christians and honest citizens,” the Pope said, “means sharing a vocabulary capable of expressing things as they are, without duplicity, cultivating harmony among peoples.”
Recalling the famous appeal of Paul VI at the United Nations sixty years ago, Pope Leo repeated, “No more war, war never again! Peace, peace must guide the destinies of Peoples and of all humanity!”
Peace, the Pope continued, “is the duty that unites all humanity in a common search for justice… peace is the definitive and eternal good that we hope for everyone.”
Pope Leo concluded his address by calling on diplomats to be “men and women of dialogue, wise in reading the signs of the times according to that code of Christian humanism that is at the root of Italian and European culture.”
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Pope: At Christmas, let music be a ‘dwelling place for the soul’
Pope Leo meets with artists and organisers involved in the Vatican’s Christmas Concert, saying that the festive period reminds us that God comes to meet us “at the very heart of our small human stories.”
By Vatican News
For 33 years, the Vatican has hosted a Christmas concert in the Paul VI Hall. This year, the event is taking place at the auditorium on Via della Conciliazione, not far from St. Peter’s Basilica, on Saturday, December 13th.
In a meeting with organisers and the artists who will be participating, the Pope emphasized that “music accompanies our journeys, our memories and our efforts: it is a shared intimate diary that preserves each person’s feelings—nostalgia, desire, expectation, disorientation, rebirth—telling our story with simplicity and, at the same time, with depth.”
God meets us in our stories
“Christmas also reminds us,” Pope Leo continued, “that in order to reveal himself, God chooses a human setting. He does not rely on grand scenery, but on a simple home; he does not show himself from afar, but draws near; he does not remain in an inaccessible place in heaven, but comes to meet us at the very heart of our small stories.”
The Pope recalled that the proceeds of this year’s concert will go to a Salesian missionary project in the Republic of the Congo, where a primary school for 350 is to be built.
This project, the Pope noted, reminds us that beauty, “when it is authentic, does not remain closed in on itself, but gives rise to responsible choices for the world.”
With Christmas around the corner, the Pope expressed his hope that “music might be a dwelling place for the soul—an inner space where the heart can speak, drawing us closer to God and allowing our humanity to be ever more inspired by his love.”
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Lord’s Day Reflection: Rejoice in the Lord always!
As the Church celebrates Gaudete Sunday - Fr Edmund Power reflects on the theme of "joy" that permeates the liturgy on the Third Sunday of Advent.
By Fr Edmund Power, OSB
Rejoice in the Lord always! The words of the entrance antiphon of today’s Mass, taken from the letter of St Paul to the Philippians, have given this Sunday its popular name of Gaudete! Not an easy imperative to obey, we might grumble as we witness so many problems in our world, but Paul was in prison when he wrote this letter and his words of encouragement arise from a deep sense that for me to live is Christ (Phil 1:21). This is the season in which we express our trust in the coming of the Lord into our lives. He came in the past and He’ll come at the end of time. Meanwhile, He comes in the grace of the present moment in so many ways.
Today’s gospel shows us the imprisoned John the Baptist, seeking confirmation as to the identity of Jesus. The Lord offers him six signs, four of which have already been promised in the prophecy of Isaiah. How might we read these signs? The blind receive their sight: reading our lives and our history through the eyes of faith in Jesus we see below the surface of things to the providential reality that underlies all that exists. The lame walk: no longer blocked and stumbling, we resume our joyful journey, and come to Zion with singing, through fields of flowers,as the first reading proclaims, to the heavenly Jerusalem, our eternal destiny. Lepers are cleansed: all that renders us “unclean”, all that makes us doubt our value or fall into exclusion and despair, is transformed and we return to the solidarity of the saved. The deaf hear: a word that has sounded distantly or indistinctly finds a new clarity and we perceive the music of God’s presence wherever it plays. The dead are raised up: Paul who says I die every day (1 Cor 15:31) in a constant death to egoism, completes the paschal faith with the words, Awake, o sleeper and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you life (Eph 5:14). The poor have good news preached to them: not only the literally poor, but the poor in spirit, all those whose hearts are open to their need for God and the coming of His Christ. These are the six signs offered to the Baptist, and to us. But there is also a seventh sign: blessed is he who takes no offence at me. The word offence can also be translated scandal, and the scandal is the Cross: a scandal to Jews and folly to Gentiles (1 Cor 1:23).
Now Jesus poses a series of six questions. They are symbolic questions inviting the people around Him to consider their attraction to the preaching of John the Baptist. Fragile reeds and rich raiment suggest that they might be seeking weakness or fragility in the message, or the opposite: a way to worldly success and riches. The prophetic message of John, however, is of another order. He has the supreme privilege of drawing back the veil to reveal the face of He who comes. But John’s importance fades before the everlasting joy (words of the first reading) of those who enter fully in the kingdom of heaven.
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Pope: The Nativity is a gift of light for our world in need of hope
Speaking to about 1,000 people taking part in the “Living Nativity” tradition at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, Pope Leo challenges them to spread the message that we are never alone and continue to be “pilgrims of hope, bearers of consolation and inspiration for all those you meet.”
By Kielce Gussie
As the second week of Advent draws to a close, inching the Christmas season closer and closer, Pope Leo XIV celebrated a special tradition here at the heart of Rome. At the Vatican, the Pope welcomed about 1,000 participants in the “Living Nativity”, who will process today to the Basilica of St. Mary Major.
He said that the group comes from all over to visit St. Peter’s tomb, which reflects the generations of pilgrims who have travelled across the globe to visit this sacred place. After their meeting with the Pope, the group will celebrate Holy Mass at the Basilica of St. Mary Major—also known as the “Bethlehem of the West” as the Holy Crib is preserved there.
Holy Crib is preserved and venerated at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome
Pope Leo highlighted that the crib is the ancient relic, “together with the pilgrimage to the Holy Land, that inspired Saint Francis, in 1223, to celebrate the first ‘Nativity of Greccio,’ marking the beginning of the Nativity scene tradition.”
From that moment on—more than 800 years ago—people in all corners of the earth continue the tradition of making a Nativity scene.
A message of hope our world needs today
The Holy Father reflected on two of his predecessors’ comments on this Christmas icon. In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI described the Nativity as God's coming without weapons or force to “conquer pride, violence, and man’s craving for possession”.
In 1223, St. Francis began the tradition of the Nativity scene in Greccio, Italy
Ten years later, Pope Francis explained that in front of the Nativity scene, “while we contemplate the Christmas scene, we are invited to spiritually set out on a journey, attracted by the humility of Him who became man to meet every man”.
“This is exactly the case,” Pope Leo noted, because in the cave of Bethlehem, the Holy Family find themselves in “disarming poverty”. It is here that “we begin again to start a new life following in Christ's footsteps.”
As the “Living Nativity” participants process through the streets of Rome to the Basilica, they will be “a joyful sign” of the beauty of being Jesus’ disciples. “This makes you — today, and always, as a mission for your daily life — pilgrims of hope, bearers of consolation and inspiration for all those you meet”, the Holy Father said.
Their mission is one for everyone: the young and old, the healthy and sick, the lonely, and those suffering.
Closing, Pope Leo stressed that the Nativity scene is an important sign that “we are part of a marvelous adventure of Salvation in which we are never alone”. He challenged the “Living Nativity” participants to spread this message and keep the tradition alive as “it is a gift of light for our world, which so desperately needs to continue hoping.”
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Photogallery
Participants in the "Living Nativity" meet with Pope Leo XIV
