Christmas at the Vatican

Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese,
23 Dec 2010

On the 24th, the Pope will host a Christmas dinner in the Pontifical apartment. His secretaries, priests Georg Ganswein and Alfred Xuereb, will also be there. It will be a sad Christmas, because one of the pope's  domestic caretakers, who was considered part of the family, recently passed away.

Federico Lombardi
Vatican Spokesman
"At midnight the Pope will light a candle from his window at the end of the brief inauguration ceremony of the Nativity in St. Peter's Square. Then, before the Mass, he will place the baby Jesus in the manger of the Nativity in his living room, next to the Christmas tree."

At 10pm Rome time, Benedict XVI will celebrate a widely-viewed Christmas Eve mass in St. Peter's. The mass is a global event, gathering ambassadors and pilgrims from all over the world. During this ceremony last year, the Pope fell to the ground, when a young women jumped over the barriers to greet him.

On the 25th, the Pope will celebrate Christmas in 60 languages. From the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, the pope will give his famous blessing "Urbi et Orbi," which means to the city of Rome and the world.