First inauguration of a Nativity Scene and Christmas Tree at the Pontifical Villas of Caster Gandolfo

The Christmas atmosphere has also reached the Pontifical Palace of Castel Gandolfo, brightening it up with the climate of the season’s festivities. as indicated by a series of events that took place on Tuesday morning, 10 December, including the inauguration of a nativity scene and the lighting of a Christmas tree.

The inauguration ceremony at Castel Gandolfo was an expression of communion with inauguration events held in the Paul VI Hall and in Saint Peter’s Square last Saturday, when the nativity scene from Grado and the ones from Bethlehem were unveiled, and the Christmas tree from Ledro was lit. It was also an opportunity to show the wider public some of the Vatican Museums’ masterpieces and underscore the spiritual aspect and the journey of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus, during the Advent Season.

The inauguration of the nativity scene and the Christmas tree in the courtyard of the Pontifical Palace mark the beginning of a tradition that will be renewed each Christmas, as already occurs in Saint Peter’s Square. The ceremony was attended by Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, Sr. Raffaella Petrini and Mr. Giuseppe Puglisi-Alibrandi, respectively, President, Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General of the Governorate of Vatican City State.

Also present were Mr. Andrea Tamburelli, Director of the Pontifical Villas, Ms. Barbara Jatta, Director of the Directorate of Museums and Cultural Heritage, and Fr. Franco Fontana, Director of the Salesian community in the Vatican, and Chaplain of the Directorate of Security and Civil Protection Services and of the Vatican Museums.

Cardinal Vérgez Alzaga presided at a Eucharistic celebration in preparation for the Christmas festivities, attended by employees of the Pontifical Villas.

For the occasion, along with the Secretary General and the Deputy Secretary General, the Cardinal visited two exhibitions, titled, “The Stoning of Saint Stephen. a Tapestry for the Sistine Chapel”, and “Nativity – Ghirlandaio and other Masters of the 15th Century”. The Cardinal was able to admire Raphael’s beautiful tapestry in the Sala dei Papi (Hall of Popes), the painting by Domenico Bigordi, known as Ghirlandaio, titled, “The Adoration of the Child”, and four paintings by Masters of the 15th century, exhibited with it, on the first floor of the Pontifical Palace. The exhibitions are part of a series of initiatives promoted by the Directorate of the Pontifical Villas and the Directorate of Museums and Cultural Heritage, for Christmas 2024 and the upcoming Jubilee.

The inauguration ceremony included the opening of a new restoration area for visitors on the ground floor of the Palace, with a view of the Lake.

The following is the homily of the Cardinal President.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Happy Christmas! It is a sincere and familiar greeting we exchange every year. It is the greeting we say at home in our families, one we spontaneously repeat to our friends, on the street, in our offices and in all the places that are part of our daily lives. It is what we write on cards and on the presents we exchange.

Happy Christmas! It is the greeting that today too, I address in a heartfelt way, to all of you collaborators of the Directorate of the Pontifical Villas, to your families, and mostly to your children.

I would like to ask all of you to be committed to experiencing this Christmas in a different way, as Pope Francis says: “a Christmas that is coherent with our faith, A Christmas that goes against the tide. A Christmas that is less superficial and superfluous. A more profound Christmas made of prayer, more generous in charity, more sincere in forgiveness”. May this Christmas be unique in our lives. This is my wish for all of you.

For this to happen, we have to pray well. We are still in Advent and our continuous prayer is, “Come Lord Jesus”.

Today, the Gospel passage from Matthew narrates the parable of the lost sheep. We have to remember the context in which the story takes place. Two realities are in contrast: on the one hand, there is Jesus to whom sinners draw near, and on the other, the Doctors of the Law and the Scribes, who distance themselves because they do not accept that he welcomes those who have wronged and committed sin. Two mindsets that are antithetical: the refusal to consider that people can redeem themselves goes against God’s insistence in wanting to save his creatures, especially the most distant ones and those most in need.

During the Advent Season, when we are close to the Birth of Jesus, the liturgy suggests some Gospel passages for our reflection that introduce us to our preparation as we wait for Jesus’ birth. Among them is the beautiful passage of the Annunciation, when the birth of Jesus and her vocation to be the handmaid of the Lord, were announced to Mary.

Throughout these days, let us ask Mary to help us live the expectation of Jesus in a profound way: “Mary, Mother of the Light, Queen of Peace, Cause of our Joy, may Jesus be born again in my heart on the Holy Eve. We will keep vigil with you in complete poverty, in deep prayer, in burning desire. So that when the angels will sing ‘Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth to people who he loved’, a new light will be lit in our souls, a lasting peace will invade our hearts and a contagious joy will spread across our faces”.

Today, we will inaugurate a nativity scene and Christmas tree in the Pontifical Villas as a sign of the bond between the Governorate and Pope Francis. We are in harmony with what took place last Saturday, when we inaugurated the nativity scene and lit the Christmas tree lights in Saint Peter’s Square.

These fir trees have special symbolic meaning because they are green and thriving, whereas many plants are bare and without leaves at this time. These fir trees, in fact, represent eternal life and the hope of a return to life.

May this Christmas bring to each of you, your families and your loved ones, the joy and light of Christ, who comes to save each one of us. I turn my thoughts to those who will be spending Christmas far from home, in poverty, in sickness and in all kinds of difficulties, especially those who are being bombed and living amid the devastations caused by war. I am thinking of Ukraine, the Holy Land and all countries experiencing war. My prayers and thoughts turn to all the children who are suffering because of these situations. May the Child Jesus bring peace to them too, on Christmas Day.

I entrust you to the Virgin Mary, with a prayer by Blessed Cardinal Pironio: “Our Lady of Christmas, Our Lady of silence and waiting: tonight you will give us the Child again….

In some villages there will be no Christmas Eve because they are at war. In some homes there will be no Christmas Eve because there is division. In some hearts there will be no Christmas Eve because they are in sin… Our Lady of Christmas Eve, Mother of the Light, Queen of Peace, Cause of our joy: let Jesus be born in my heart again tonight. But for everyone: for my house, for my people, for my homeland, and for the whole world”.

I hope that Jesus will be born again this Christmas for you and your families. I wish you a Holy and Happy Christmas.