Vatican unveils Nativity scene, lights Christmas tree in St. Peter’s Square

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican unveiled its Nativity scene Monday and lit the 82-foot Christmas tree that towers above it in St. Peter’s Square as a band, chorus and dancers in traditional costumes from Italy’s northernmost South Tyrol province performed.

The spruce tree hailed from Italy’s German-speaking majority autonomous province on the Austrian border, while the life-size Nativity scene was designed by the Nocera Inferiore-Sarno diocese in the southern Campania province, featuring architectural elements from the region.

The deputy governor of South Tyrol, Rosmarie Pamer, underlined that three language groups live together peacefully in South Tyrol: Italian, German and Ladino.

“This is not to be taken for granted, but is a great gift and a great fortune,” she said.

The inauguration of the Nativity scene and tree lighting are part of Christmas season events that also will include a Christmas Eve Mass and the traditional Urbi et Orbi, or “To the City and the World,” address by the pope on Christmas Day. This holiday season will close the Jubilee Year opened by the late Pope Francis.

Pope Leo XIV did not attend the evening inauguration of the tree and creche, but earlier in the day denounced the anti-Semitic violence behind the Hanukkah massacre in Sydney, Australia, during an audience with the donors of the Vatican’s Christmas decorations.