A regular event that every year is a moment of joy for all the faithful: the lighting of the fir tree and the unveiling of the crib. Delegations from the dioceses of Rieti and Saluzzo, the places of origin of the gifts, will be present for the occasion and will be received by Francis on the morning of the same day.

Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga and Sister Raffaella Petrini, respectively President and Secretary General of the Governorate of Vatican City State, will inaugurate the crib and light the Christmas tree in St. Peter’s Square.

The gifts of Rieti and Saluzzo

The ceremony, according to a press release from the Governorate of the Vatican City State, will take place on Saturday 9 December at 5 pm. The official delegations from the places of origin of the crib and the tree will be present, coming respectively from Valle Santa Reatina in the Diocese of Rieti and Macra in the Diocese of Saluzzo. In particular, the Bishop of Rieti, Monsignor Vito Piccinonna, the curator of the Valle del Primo Crib project and of the crib in the Paul VI Hall, Dr. Enrico Bressan, and the diocesan band or choir “Chiesa di Rieti”, among others, will take part.

The audience with the Pope

The Bishop of Saluzzo, Monsignor Cristiano Bodo, the President of the Piedmont Region, Dr. Alberto Cirio, the Mayor of Macra, Valerio Carsetti, and the choir “La Reis” of San Damiano Macra, among others, participate in the presentation of the Christmas tree. On the same day, in the morning, the delegations will be received in audience by Pope Francis for the official presentation of the gifts. The crib and the tree in St. Peter’s Square will remain on display until the end of the Christmas season, which coincides with the feast of the Baptism of the Lord on Sunday 7 January 2024.