Vatican Report. CW: Christmas at the Vatican in some ways is unlike anywhere else on earth. But some festive touches are universal, like the tree behind us. This is the Vatican Report, and I am Cindy …More
Vatican Report.
CW: Christmas at the Vatican in some ways is unlike anywhere else on earth. But some festive touches are universal, like the tree behind us. This is the Vatican Report, and I am Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service Rome correspondent.
JT: And I am John Thavis, CNS Rome bureau chief. It is kind of hard to imagine, but 30 years ago there was no Christmas tree in St. Peter’s Square, and no Nativity Scene. It was Pope John Paul II who brought both of those traditions to the Vatican on a big scale. The Nativity Scene is giant-sized, and it takes a construction team about a month to assemble it. The tree this year is almost 100 feet tall and had to be hoisted into place with a crane. Pope John Paul once revealed that he loved to look out his apartment window at the people who flock here to see this very Christmassy scene.
CW: Not surprisingly, Pope Benedict kept up those traditions. First, many of them are part of his Bavarian heritage. And can you imagine being the Pope who got rid of the Vatican Christmas tree? The German-born Pope has also maintained some other customs, like paying a visit to a local hospital just before Christmas. And on the weekend after Christmas, he is having lunch at a Rome soup kitchen run by a local Catholic lay group. It is a symbolic way to underline one of the main themes of his papacy: faith expressing itself as charity in action.
JT: Of course, the whole world tunes in for Christmas Mass at the Vatican, which traditionally has begun at Midnight. This year, the Vatican moved the start time up two hours, to 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve. The reason? Well, the Pope is 82 years old, and Midnight Mass meant he was not getting to bed until 2:30 or 3 in the morning -- with another big event scheduled for Christmas Day. So this year, he will get more rest. And by the way, there were no complaints about the earlier start from those of us who actually cover the Mass.
CW: At noon on Christmas Day, the Pope reads a message and gives his blessing “Urbi et Orbi” -- a Latin phrase that means “to the city and to the world.” And his message really is to the world. It is broadcast to about 80 countries, and it features Christmas greetings in more than 60 languages. There is no set form to the “Urbi et Orbi” message, and every Pope has his own style. John Paul II would write it almost as a poem. Pope Benedict often reflects on a universal aspect of Christmas, one that all people can relate to, and it is always a strong message of hope.
JT: The Vatican does not go overboard in the gift-giving department at Christmas time. Each of the approximately 4,000 Vatican employees receives a bottle of spumante and the seasonal panettone cake from the Pope. What does the Pope receive? For the most part, the Vatican does not say. But this year he is getting something special: the Vatican Web site pope2you.net lets you click and send Pope Benedict a Christmas message and your thoughts on peace and hope. If you want, you can personalize your Christmas greeting by …
CW: Christmas at the Vatican in some ways is unlike anywhere else on earth. But some festive touches are universal, like the tree behind us. This is the Vatican Report, and I am Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service Rome correspondent.
JT: And I am John Thavis, CNS Rome bureau chief. It is kind of hard to imagine, but 30 years ago there was no Christmas tree in St. Peter’s Square, and no Nativity Scene. It was Pope John Paul II who brought both of those traditions to the Vatican on a big scale. The Nativity Scene is giant-sized, and it takes a construction team about a month to assemble it. The tree this year is almost 100 feet tall and had to be hoisted into place with a crane. Pope John Paul once revealed that he loved to look out his apartment window at the people who flock here to see this very Christmassy scene.
CW: Not surprisingly, Pope Benedict kept up those traditions. First, many of them are part of his Bavarian heritage. And can you imagine being the Pope who got rid of the Vatican Christmas tree? The German-born Pope has also maintained some other customs, like paying a visit to a local hospital just before Christmas. And on the weekend after Christmas, he is having lunch at a Rome soup kitchen run by a local Catholic lay group. It is a symbolic way to underline one of the main themes of his papacy: faith expressing itself as charity in action.
JT: Of course, the whole world tunes in for Christmas Mass at the Vatican, which traditionally has begun at Midnight. This year, the Vatican moved the start time up two hours, to 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve. The reason? Well, the Pope is 82 years old, and Midnight Mass meant he was not getting to bed until 2:30 or 3 in the morning -- with another big event scheduled for Christmas Day. So this year, he will get more rest. And by the way, there were no complaints about the earlier start from those of us who actually cover the Mass.
CW: At noon on Christmas Day, the Pope reads a message and gives his blessing “Urbi et Orbi” -- a Latin phrase that means “to the city and to the world.” And his message really is to the world. It is broadcast to about 80 countries, and it features Christmas greetings in more than 60 languages. There is no set form to the “Urbi et Orbi” message, and every Pope has his own style. John Paul II would write it almost as a poem. Pope Benedict often reflects on a universal aspect of Christmas, one that all people can relate to, and it is always a strong message of hope.
JT: The Vatican does not go overboard in the gift-giving department at Christmas time. Each of the approximately 4,000 Vatican employees receives a bottle of spumante and the seasonal panettone cake from the Pope. What does the Pope receive? For the most part, the Vatican does not say. But this year he is getting something special: the Vatican Web site pope2you.net lets you click and send Pope Benedict a Christmas message and your thoughts on peace and hope. If you want, you can personalize your Christmas greeting by …