VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Pope Leo XIV unveiled his first crèches, or Nativity scenes, as pope on Monday (Dec. 15), a longtime tradition signaling the start of Christmas festivities at the Vatican.
The crèche in St. Peter’s Square, visible to tourists and pilgrims visiting the Vatican, was made by the artists of the diocese of Nocera Inferiore-Sarno, not far from the Italian city of Naples, known for its vibrant Nativity scenes. Beside it stands an 88-foot-tall spruce tree from the northern Italian Veneto region.
In his speech on Monday to a delegation of almost 4,000 people from the dioceses that donated the tree and crèches, Leo said the tree was meant to symbolize “a sign of life and evokes a hope that does not fade, even in the cold of winter,” and the tree’s lights point to “Christ the light of the world.”
Nativity scenes, Leo said, hold an invitation for reflection.
“Before every Nativity scene, including those set up in our homes, we relive the birth of Jesus. We rediscover the need to seek moments of silence and prayer in our lives, in order to find ourselves and enter into communion with God,” Leo said.
Traditionally, dioceses from all over the world donate Nativity scenes to the pope, and they come with layers of symbolis …