With this gesture, the Pope concluded the Vigil of Prayer of Peace and Life, which was presided over by Cardinal Edmund Szoka, president of the Governorate of Vatican City, to unveil the Nativity scene near the obelisk in St. Peter’s Square.
Accompanied by his secretary, Monsignor Georg Ganswein, the Holy Father lit a large white candle and recollected himself in prayer for a few moments.
The Nativity scene has 17 natural-size figures, more than half of which were made by Vincent Palotti in 1842 for the crèche in the Roman Church of Sant’Andrea della Valle.
The nearby 30-meter (100-foot) Christmas tree is a gift to the Pope this year from Austria.
