The Vatican on Monday unveiled its life-size Nativity scene in St. Peter's Square, hours before Pope Benedict XVI ushered in Christmas with a Midnight Mass in the basilica. As a Vatican band played "Silent Night," officials unveiled the statues of Mary and Joseph, Jesus' parents, in a huge house-like structure located next to the Vatican's giant, twinkling Christmas tree.
This year, the scene of Jesus' birth was depicted in a recreation of Joseph's Nazareth home rather than the traditional manger in Bethlehem. Officials at the unveiling said the shift underscored the idea that Jesus was born not just in a single place, but everywhere and for everyone.
Later Monday, Benedict was to light a candle from his studio window in a symbol of peace, and later still, celebrate Midnight Mass in St. Peter's Basilica.
At noon on Tuesday, Benedict is to deliver his traditional Christmas Day "Urbi et Orbi" speech — Latin for "to the city and to the world" — from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, in which he often touches on current events and issues of concern to the Vatican.
He then is expected to issue Christmas greetings to the faithful in more than 60 languages.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.
The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.
Sotto Voce