The lighting of the tree and the manger inaugurate Christmas in the Vatican - Rome Reports

Christmas begins in Rome: Vatican lights tree and inaugurates Nativity scene

Salt + Light - Vatican Connections 19th December 2014

Salt + Light: Vatican Connections - December 12th

Salt + Light: Vatican Connections December 5th 2014

Ireland has a new ambassador to the Holy See

H.E. Emma Madigan is the new ambassador of the Republic of Ireland to the Holy See and during the week she presented her official credientials from President Higgins to H.H. Pope Francis.

But perhaps her son may have stolen the show!




There is an interview with Vatican Radio where Ambassador Madigan speaks about how "It was a very special day for me being the representative of Ireland here at the Holy See”, says Ambassador Emma Madigan, who presented her credentials to Pope Francis in a private meeting Tuesday morning at the Vatican.

You can listen to her interview and read the article from Vatican Radio HERE.

Financial Reform at the Holy See and Vatican City State

The reform of the Vatican continued apace with some major announcements yesterday in Rome. Continuing on the trail of reform initiated by Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis has made some major changes to the financial set up of the Holy See and Vatican City State.

"Journalists from across the globe crowded into the Vatican Press Office on Wednesday morning to hear, first-hand, of a series of new initiatives geared to improve the economic and administrative management of the Holy See and Vatican City State. Listen to Linda Bordoni's report HERE"

As always John Allen has good coverage and explanation HERE with an interview with the new economic czar Cardinal Pell HERE.

 

Another Pope Francis interview............

..........this time with Andrea Torneilli of La Stampa who is one of the main Vaticanista's.

"Never be afraid of tenderness"

In this exclusive interview, Pope Francis speaks about Christmas, hunger in the world, the suffering of children, the reform of the Roman Curia, women cardinals, the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), and the upcoming visit to the Holy Land

For me Christmas is hope and tenderness...”.  

Francis talks to “La Stampa” and “Vatican Insider” about his first Christmas as Bishop of Rome. We’re in Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican; it’s 12:50 in the afternoon on Tuesday 10 December. The Pope receives us in a room next to the dining hall. The meeting lasts an hour and a half. Twice during the course of the interview, the peaceful look which the whole world has grown accustomed to seeing on Francis’ face fades away when he talks about the innocent suffering of children and the tragedy of hunger in the world.

During the interview the Pope also speaks about relations with other Christian denominations and about the “ecumenism of blood” which unites them in persecution, he touches on the issue of the family to be addressed at the next Synod, responds to those in the USA who criticised him and called him “a Marxist” and discusses the relationship between Church and politics.
 

Continue reading HERE 

Beginning to mark the festive season at the Vatican

In Rome, the Christmas season is said to begin with the visit of the Pope to the Statue of the Immaculate Conception in Rome's Spanish Steps.

 


Also marking the occasion on the 13th (the feast of St Lucy (check out Phil's post HERE)), the Christmas tree was lit!

 

 

The Christmas tree lighting ceremony in St Peter' Square officially marks the start of Christmas at the Vatican. In fact, the colors chosen to decorate it this year are those of the Vatican flag, white and yellow. Some inhabitants of Waldmünchen, in Bavaria (Germany) took part in the ceremony. They gifted the huge fir tree that stands in the middle of the Square and the little ones spread throughout the Vatican. During the last week, workers perfected the tree, brought all the way from Bavaria, homeland to Pope emeritus Benedict XVI. It arrived on December 5. That same day it was installed at the Square and workers also started to decorate it. The tree is almost 100 feet high and weighs seven tons.

Financial Reporting at the Vatican

From Rome Reports:

Today the Vatican presented two financial reports, one for the governing body of the Catholic Church and the other for the State of Vatican City. The Vatican spokesperson had some good and bad news to deliver.

Vatican spokesman“The balance of the Holy See for the year 2011 closed with a deficit of about 15 million euros. The largest items of cost are related to staff payments.”

The balance of the Holy See includes the costs of the Roman Curia, the nunciatures, and the media communications branch of the Vatican. The good news is that the accounts of the world's smallest state can survive the setback. It closed in 2011 with a surplus of 26 million dollars, thanks largely to money brought in by the Vatican Museums. The report also showed that donations were up by 7.6 percent. The donations to St. Peter's alone raised 84 million dollars. As well as the different dioceses throughout the world sending 31 million, and religious institutes just over a million dollars.

The Institute for Works of Religion, better known as the Vatican's bank, gave the Pope 60 million dollars for his charitable works in the past year.

From Vatican Information Service:

The Council of Cardinals for the Study of the Organisational and Economic Problems of the Holy See met in the Vatican on Tuesday 3 July and Wednesday 4 July, under the presidency of Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi, president of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See, presented the consolidated financial statements of the Holy See for 2011, then those of the Governorate of Vatican City State.

The consolidated financial statements of the Holy See for 2011 closed with a deficit of EUR 14,890,034. The most significant items of expenditure were those relative to personnel (who as of 31 December 2011 numbered 2,832) and to the communications media considered as a whole. The result was affected by the negative trend of global financial markets, which made it impossible to achieve the goals laid down in the budget.

The administration of the Governorate is autonomous, and independent of contributions from the Holy See. Through its various offices, it supervises requirements related to the administration of the State. The consolidated financial statements for 2011 closed with a surplus of EUR 21,843,851. As of 31 December 2011, the Governorate employed a staff of 1,887. A particularly significant contribution to the result came from the Vatican Museums, which produced a revenue that passed from EUR 82,400,000 in 2010 to EUR 91,300.000, for a total of more than five million visitors. According to specialised rankings, these figures place the Vatican Museums among the most prestigious and important such institutions in the world.

Peter's Pence - i.e., donations made by the faithful to support the Holy Father's charity - rose from USD 67,704,416.41 in 2010 to USD 69,711,722.76. Contributions made pursuant to canon 1271 of the Code of Canon Law - i.e., the economic support offered by ecclesiastical circumscriptions throughout the world to maintain the service the Roman Curia offers the universal Church - rose from USD 27,362,258.40 in 2010 to USD 32,128,675.91. Further contributions to the Holy See made by institutes of consecrated life, societies of apostolic life and foundations rose from USD 747,596.09 in 2010 to USD 1,194,217.78. Thus the overall increase with respect to 2010 was of 7.54 per cent.

As it does every year, the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR) offered the Holy Father a significant sum to support his apostolic and charitable ministry. The amount involved for the financial year 2011 was EUR 49,000,000.

During the meeting, according to a communique made public today, "the cardinals present made numerous comments in which they made clear their appreciation at the completeness and transparency of the information they had been given. Recognition was expressed for the commitment to the ongoing improvement of the administration of the goods and resources of the Holy See, and a call was made for prudence and limiting costs, though while maintaining jobs. Unanimous pleasure was declared at the generous support of the faithful and of ecclesiastical institutions, even more praiseworthy given the persistent economic crisis. The members of the Council also expressed their profound gratitude at the support the faithful give, often anonymously, to the universal ministry of the Holy Father, and exhorted them to continue this good work.

"Finally, under the terms of article 25 (2) of the Apostolic Constitution 'Pastor bonus', Paolo Cipriani, director of the IOR, outlined the economic position of the institution he directs. This was followed by a debate during which the members of the Council were provided with the necessary clarifications".