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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.
From the heart of the state - The Governorate is told: it is the title of the quarterly online periodical, promoted and published by the Governatorate of the Vatican City State.
Friday, April 24 was a special day for 11 children from the “San Francesco e Santa Chiara” nursery school within the Vatican City, as they took part in their first educational field trip outside the school facility. It was a meaningful experience designed to offer the youngest children an opportunity for growth, socialization, and outdoor fun.
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina was, “in the history of the Church, one of the composers who most contributed to the promotion of sacred music,” for “the glory of God and the sanctification and edification of the faithful,” as written by Saint Pius X in the Motu Proprio Inter plurimas pastoralis officii sollicitudines, dated November 22, 1903, in the context of the momentous yet hopeful era of the Counter-Reformation.
Assisi, 14 May 2026 – The numismatic triptych dedicated to the Canticle of the Creatures was presented today in the Cimabue Hall of the “Colle del Paradiso” Conference Center within the monumental complex of the Sacred Convent of Saint Francis in Assisi. The project was created through a collaboration between Italy, the Vatican, and San Marino as part of the celebrations marking the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi. Included in the official calendar of Franciscan celebrations, the initiative represents a meeting point between art, spirituality, and numismatics in the symbolic place of the life and message of the Saint of Assisi.
Fourteen electric vehicles, including 4 Melex passenger vehicles for the Gendarmerie and 10 Goupil utility vehicles for the working needs of the Vatican City State have joined the car park inventory. Newly supplied by the company Exelentia (Italian Mobility Factory), the additions facilitate the Governorate’s continuing implementation of its sustainable mobility development program launched in November 2023 with the title “Ecological Conversion 2030”. In addition, Exelentia will donate two electric vehicles appropriately modified for papal needs.
The Governorate, continuing its commitment to the implementation of the “Ecological Conversion 2030” project—launched following the commitments undertaken upon the accession of the Vatican City State to the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)—has activated the second phase of the medium and long-term vehicle rental program. For the time being the car rental service is reserved for employees of the Governorate of Vatican City State.
Pope Leo XIV will move to the summer Papal residence in Castel Gandolfo for a period of rest, as announced by the Prefecture of the Papal Household.
On Saturday, August 2, Pope Leo XIV received in audience, in a foyer of the Paul VI Audience Hall, a select group representing the Vatican Museums. During the meeting, a painting depicting Saint Augustine and an angel, the work of an anonymous Roman artist of the 18th century, was presented and entrusted to the Pope.
“The financial reform that Pope Benedict began and that Pope Francis continued with dedication has brought great changes to the structures and procedures of the Holy See and Vatican City State”, said Sister Raffaella Petrini, Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist and General Secretary of Vatican City State, in her address to participants in a workshop on “Transparency and Accountability in the Catholic Church: A Practical Journey”. The meeting was held on Wednesday morning, 19 June, in the Old Synod Hall in the Vatican.
The exhibition’s 24 photographs portrayed the contrast between the beauty of Creation and the damages caused by climate change to nature and to peoples throughout the world. Curated by Lia and Marianna Beltrami in cooperation with the Dicastery for Communication, the Dicastery for Integral Human Development and the Laudato Si’ Centre for Higher Education, the photographs, which were exhibited in the Charlemagne Wing of Saint Peter’s Square, were part of the project, “Emotions to Generate Change”. The exhibition was open to the public from 7 to 24 May.
As a tribute to Pope Francis and his message of hope for this Year of the Jubilee, the last stage of the Giro d'Italia 2025, scheduled for Sunday 1 June, will pass through Vatican City and finish in Rome at the ancient monument of the Circus Maximus.
“Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his motherand the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son. Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. (John 19:25-27)
Qui sibi nomen imposuit
On Saturday afternoon, 21 December, Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, President of the Governorate of Vatican City State, celebrated Holy Mass for employees of the Directorate of Health and Hygiene, in the Church of Maria, Madre della Famiglia (Mary, Mother of the Family). Just a few days from the Solemnity of Christmas, the Cardinal offered the faithful on their Advent journey a reflection on the mystery of the Visitation, when Elizabeth’s joy at the presence of Jesus was transformed into Mary’s announcement of salvation.
Between the Eucharistic celebration of Holy Thursday and that of the Easter night, the Church does not celebrate the Eucharist. It relives the mystery of Jesus’ burial, when everything seems to be over. It is the day when Christ descends into the netherworld to reward the hope of the righteous ones of old, held captive by the chains of death.
“Fede e scienza possono essere unite nella carità, se la scienza viene messa al servizio degli uomini e delle donne del nostro tempo, e non distorta a loro danno o addirittura per la loro distruzione. Vi incoraggio ad andare alle periferie della conoscenza umana: è qui che si può fare esperienza del Dio Amore, che soddisfa e appaga la sete del nostro cuore”. Così Papa Francesco, giovedì mattina, 20 giugno, ai partecipanti al secondo convegno internazionale dedicato al ricordo dell’eredità scientifica di Monsignor Georges Lemaître (1894-1966), il fisico belga che ha sviluppato quella che oggi è conosciuta come la teoria del Big Bang.
Il Cardinale Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, Presidente della Pontificia Commissione per lo Stato della Città del Vaticano e Presidente del Governatorato, è stato insignito dell'Ordine del Quetzal, massima onorificenza del Guatemala. La consegna è avvenuta, giovedì mattina, 20 giugno, nel Palazzo del Governatorato. A rappresentare lo Stato guatemalteco, il ministro Ambasciatore Carlos Ramiro Martínez Alvarado, e Alfredo Vásquez Rivera, Ambasciatore presso la Santa Sede.
Centinaia di fiammelle come tante suppliche portate al Cuore di Maria perché giungano al Cuore di suo Figlio. Sono quelle della lunga processione che si è snodata attraverso i Giardini Vaticani, venerdì sera, 31 maggio, fino ad arrivare alla Grotta di Lourdes. Tantissimi i fedeli convenuti per la recita del Rosario, alla luce dei flambeaux, che hanno ascoltato la meditazione conclusiva del Cardinale Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, Presidente del Governatorato dello Stato della Città del Vaticano.
“La riforma finanziaria avviata da Papa Benedetto XVI e proseguita con determinazione da Papa Francesco ha portato a profondi cambiamenti all'interno delle strutture e procedure della Santa Sede e dello Stato della Città del Vaticano”. Così Suor Raffaella Petrini, delle Suore Francescane dell'Eucaristia, Segretario Generale del Governatorato dello Stato della Città del Vaticano, nel saluto ai partecipanti al workshop sul tema: “Transparency and Accountability in the Catholic Church: A Practical Journey”. L’incontro si è tenuto, mercoledì mattina, 19 giugno, nell'Aula Vecchia del Sinodo in Vaticano.
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