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Rome Newsroom, Dec 20, 2024 / 13:35 pm
Rome during the Christmas season is a feast for the senses. Twinkling lights drape over the city’s cobblestone streets, towering Christmas trees adorn piazzas, and Nativity scenes beckon from churches and storefronts alike.
Against this dazzling backdrop, the first pilgrims for the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee, which begins on Christmas Eve, have the unique opportunity to enjoy the Eternal City’s many Christmas traditions.
Pope Francis will open five jubilee Holy Doors in the Christmas season between Dec. 24 and Jan. 6.
And 38-year-old Immaculate Atieno, a jubilee pilgrim from Nairobi, Kenya, is hoping to witness all of the solemn door openings with the pope.
Immaculate Atieno is seen in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City. Credit: Photo courtesy of Immaculate Atieno“It’s worth it,” Atieno told CNA. “This is a once-in-every-25-years thing to do. So why not give it your all?”
Atieno brought with her a long list of prayer intentions from family and friends in Africa in addition to her desire to pray for the needs of the world as she receives her jubilee indulgence.
“We are at a time where the world really needs lots of prayers,” she explained. “That is why we put forth our prayers, also praying for the intentions of the Holy Father in this time and remembering others.”
Jubilee pilgrims spending the Christmas season in Rome will also get to enjoy the Italian capital’s many culinary delights, including the ubiquitous Christmas bread, panettone.
A baker is seen carrying a tray of panettone in Rome, Italy, Dec. 17, 2024. Credit: Courtney Mares/CNAPanettone, the egg-rich, butter-laden Italian bread speckled with candied fruit, is everywhere — stacked in brightly wrapped boxes in grocery stores, showcased in bakery windows, and served in slices at cafes. Some bakeries have taken things up a notch, crafting edible Nativity scenes out of panettone and chocolate.
And while many Italian families will sit down to elaborate seafood feasts on Christmas Eve, pilgrims and locals alike enjoy wandering through the city’s streets, soaking in the holiday atmosphere.
Cakes are seen on display in a bakery in Rome, Italy, Dec. 17, 2024. Credit: Courtney Mares/CNAA group of Catholic sisters from Indonesia took in the lights of Via del Corso and snapped photos at the Spanish Steps, where a modern Christmas tree sparkled against the historic landmark.
“Every store, every church has also prepared really wonderful decorations to welcome in Christmas,” Sister Angela of the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary told CNA.
A Roman street is seen brightly lit up on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. Credit: Courtney Mares/CNA(Story continues below)
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“I’m really excited to be welcoming the jubilee here. I’m also feeling so lucky because this year will be the opening of the holy doors.”
Her companion, Sister Tarcisia, shared that she is praying for all of the jubilee pilgrims who will be coming to Rome during the Christmas season as well as for people in the world to experience peace and justice.
Sister Tarcisia poses before the Spanish Steps in Rome, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. Credit: Courtney Mares/CNAThis year, large Christmas trees are displayed in Rome’s Piazza di Popolo, the Spanish Steps, and St. Peter’s Square.
A Christmas tree is seen in St. Peter's Square, Vatican City, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. Credit: Courtney Mares/CNAPilgrims strolling through Piazza Navona can browse Rome’s small-scale Christmas market, where vendors sell Nativity figurines, ornaments, and Befana dolls — Italy’s traditional Christmas witch.
A truck delivers Christmas presents and plants in Rome, Italy, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. Credit: Courtney Mares/CNA
A festive display is seen in a Roman shop on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. Credit: Courtney Mares/CNAOver in St. Peter’s Square, visitors marvel at the Vatican’s grand Nativity scene, which this year features a replica of the lagoon of Grado, a picturesque Italian town on the Adriatic Sea.
Under Bernini’s colonnade, the Vatican’s “100 Nativity Scenes” exhibit draws visitors with its international collection, including Nativities made from coral, pine cones, papier-mâché, and even pasta.
A Nativity is depicted in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. Credit: Courtney Mares/CNANearby the Basilica of Sant’Andrea della Valle also showcases an array of Nativity scenes and the Basilica of Saints Cosma and Damiano features a monumental display of historic Neapolitan figurines.
At the Basilica of St. Mary Major, pilgrims can venerate a relic of Christ’s manger and pray at the site where St. Cajetan had a vision of the Virgin Mary handing him the infant Jesus.
A marble sculpture of St. Cajetan holding the infant Jesus identifies the spot where the saint’s vision occurred in the crypt of the Chapel of the Nativity, the side chapel to the right of the main altar of the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome, Italy. Credit: Courtney Mares/CNAFor those willing to venture beyond Rome, Assisi is illuminated during the Christmas season with light displays of Giotto’s famous frescoes, while the nearby town of Greccio is the site of the first Nativity scene created by St. Francis.
For Atieno, the spiritual aspect of the season is central to her pilgrimage. She said her favorite Christmas tradition is the great homilies that she looks forward to every Advent and Christmas.
“It’s a time when we have to remember peace, joy, and prepare ourselves to welcome Our Lord,” she said.
A building is decorated festively for Christmas in Rome, Italy, Dec. 17, 2024. Credit: Courtney Mares/CNAPope Francis, who celebrated his 88th birthday on Dec. 17, has a packed liturgical schedule for the first few weeks of the jubilee.
On Christmas Eve, he will preside over the opening of the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica at 7 p.m. followed by the Christmas “Mass during the Night.”
Pilgrims unable to secure tickets for the Christmas Eve Mass told CNA that they plan to gather in St. Peter’s Square, hoping to witness the historic opening of the Holy Door from outside.
The following day, Francis will deliver his “urbi et orbi” blessing to the city and the world from the basilica’s central balcony.
The pope’s jubilee itinerary also includes opening the Holy Door at Rome’s Rebibbia prison on the Dec. 26 feast of St. Stephen; at the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran on the Dec. 29 feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph; at St. Mary Major on the Jan. 1 solemnity of Mary, Mother of God; and at St. Paul Outside the Walls on Jan. 5.
A carousel is seen on the streets of Rome, Italy, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. Credit: Courtney Mares/CNAPope Francis asked pilgrims to spiritually prepare for Christmas in his last general audience before the start of the jubilee.
“Christmas is now here and I’d like to think that there is a Nativity scene in your homes,” the pope said. “This important element of our spirituality and culture is a wonderful, wonderful way to remember Jesus who came to dwell among us.”
Praying alongside pilgrims crowded inside the Vatican hall, Pope Francis asked the “Prince of Peace” for his grace and peace to fill the world.
Courtney Mares is a Rome Correspondent for Catholic News Agency. A graduate of Harvard University, she has reported from news bureaus on three continents and was awarded the Gardner Fellowship for her work with North Korean refugees. She is the author of “Blessed Carlo Acutis: A Saint in Sneakers” (Ignatius, 2023), https://ignatius.com/carlo-acutis-sscap/.
