Pope Francis

[grace-land]

Video, with English text, at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-12/pope-francis-prayer-intention-december-2019.html

Pope's December prayer intention: The future of the very young
05 December 2019, 15:59

Pope Francis on Thursday released a video message accompanying his prayer intention for December, which this month is "The future of the very young".

In his prayer intention for the month of December 2019, Pope Francis calls us to pray that every country decides to take necessary measures to make the future of children a priority, especially the future of children who are suffering today.

It has become the custom of Pope Francis to release a video message detailing his prayer intention for each month.

The full text of his intention is below:
 

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope-francis/mass-casa-santa-marta/2019-12/pope-francis-santa-marta-mass-lives-based-on-christ.html

Pope at Mass: We base our lives on Christ, not on appearances
05 December 2019, 12:35

In his homily at Mass in the Casa Santa Marta on Thursday, Pope Francis reminds us that our lives are built upon the “eternal Rock”, who is the Lord, and in Him we find happiness.
By Vatican News

Taking his cue from the Gospel at Mass on Thursday (Mt 7:21), Pope Francis urged Christians to sink the foundations of their lives into Christ, rather than relying on the shifting sands of appearances.

In the Gospel, Jesus compares the wise person who built his house on rock with the fool who built his house on sand. Those who listen to the words of the Lord are wise, while those who refuse to do so live like fools and base everything on appearances, the Pope said.
 

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-12/pope-thanks-italian-dioceses-for-gift-of-christmas-tree-and-crib.html

Pope thanks Italian dioceses for gift of Christmas tree and crib
05 December 2019, 14:11

Pope Francis meets with a delegation from the Italian dioceses of Trento, Padua and Vittorio Veneto and thanks them for the gift of the Christmas tree and nativity scene to the Vatican this year.
By Vatican News

The Pope began by recalling last autumn’s storm that devastated entire wooded areas in Italy’s northern Triveneto region, home to the dioceses that donated this year’s Christmas tree to the Vatican. “These are events that frighten us”, said the Pope, “they are warning signs that creation sends us, and that ask us to take effective decisions immediately for the protection of our common home.”

The Christmas tree

“Tonight the lights that adorn the tree will be on”, continued Pope Francis, “It will remain next to the crib until the end of the Christmas holidays, and both will be admired by the many pilgrims from all over the world”. The Pope went on to praise the initiative that will see the replanting of 40 fir trees to replenish the forests damaged by the 2018 storm. The spruce tree decorating St Peter’s Square “represents a sign of hope especially for your forests”, he added, so that the work of reforestation can begin as soon as possible.
 
Video at the link below--
St. Peter’s Square-Inauguration of the Nativity scene and lighting of the Christmas tree 2019-12-05
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

[grace-land]

Update:  Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

What a mess, imo...
https://www.pjstar.com/news/20191204/rochester-bishop-pushed-vatican-to-delay-fulton-sheen-beatification-says-peoria-diocese
Rochester bishop pushed Vatican to delay Fulton Sheen beatification, says Peoria Diocese
By Phil Luciano   of the Journal Star
Posted Dec 4, 2019 at 8:28 PM
Updated Dec 4, 2019 at 9:50 PM

The beatification of Fulton Sheen was delayed at the request of the bishop in Rochester, N.Y., the Peoria Diocese says.

Until Wednesday night, the Peoria Diocese had been circumspect in discussing Monday’s decision by the Vatican to indefinitely postpone the Dec. 21 ceremony — a rare balk at this stage of the process of beatification, one step short of sainthood. However, Monsignor James Kruse, a key cog in Peoria Diocese’s sainthood campaign for Sheen, decided to speak out after another report by the Catholic News Agency that Kruse said suggested Sheen did not act appropriately regarding a clergyman accused of sexual wrongdoing.

The Wednesday report — which the CNA later revised to include Kruse’s defense of Sheen — alleged that Sheen, bishop in Rochester from 1966 to 1969, allowed a priest accused of sexual abuse to head a Rochester parish. Kruse said that “months and months and months ago,” the Rochester Diocese had reported that allegation to the Peoria Diocese and the Vatican — both of which cleared Sheen after lengthy and separate investigations.

“Sheen in no way acted inappropriately,” Kruse told the Journal Star.

The Rochester development adds a new layer of drama to a spiritual matter that already has been besmirched by a remarkable political battle. For years, the Archdiocese of New York tried stop the Peoria Diocese from moving Sheen’s remains from New York to Peoria, a necessary step in the sainthood process. The Archdiocese claimed it was defending Sheen’s burial wishes, but the Diocese accused New York of sour grapes
 
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/diocese-of-rochester-confirms-it-requested-fulton-sheen-beatification-delay-95690
Diocese of Rochester confirms it requested Fulton Sheen beatification delay

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2019-12/raniero-cantalamessa-first-advent-sermon-2019-mary.html

Fr Cantalamessa gives first Advent reflection to Pope and Roman Curia
06 December 2019, 11:54

The Preacher of the Papal Household, Fr Raniero Cantalamessa, gives his first Advent reflection at the Redemptoris Mater Chapel in the Apostolic Palace. Below is the full text of his sermon.

P. Raniero Cantalamessa ofmcap
BLESSED IS SHE WHO BELIEVED!”
Mary in the Annunciation
First Advent Sermon 2019

Every year the liturgy leads us to Christmas  with three guides: Isaiah, John the Baptist and Mary, the prophet, the precursor, the mother. The first announced the Messiah from afar, the second showed him present in the world, the third bore him in her womb. This Advent I have thought to entrust ourselves entirely to the Mother of Jesus. No one, better than she can prepare us to celebrate the birth of our Redeemer.

She didn’t celebrate Advent, she lived it in her flesh. Like every mother bearing a child she knows what it means be waiting for somebody and can help us in approaching Christmas with an expectant faith. We shall contemplate the Mother of God in the three moments in which Scripture presents her at the center of the events: the Annunciation, the Visitation and Christmas.
 

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-12/pope-francis-italy-notary-publics-law-justice-charity.html

Pope to Italian notaries: Uphold the law in justice and charity
06 December 2019, 12:47

Pope Francis meets with representatives of Italy’s National Notary Fund, and urges notaries public to mediate the law in respect for the dignity and rights of their clients.
By Devin Watkins

Notaries perform varying functions in different legal systems.

In countries that use English common law, notaries public verify signatures and oaths on legal documents. In Latin-tradition law systems, by contrast, notaries more nearly resemble lawyers and guarantee the validity and authenticity of contracts.

Seal of justice

In his speech to the National Notary Fund, Pope Francis made note of the greater responsibility bestowed on Italy’s notaries.

“Your presence in the dialectic of contract negotiation is the seal not only of legality – of which you are the guardians – but of balance and evaluation and therefore, in the final analysis, of justice.”

The Pope urged notaries public to be rigorous “mediators between the law and the socio-economic needs” of their clients.
 

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-12/pope-francis-aggiornamenti-sociali-audience-social-isssues.html

Pope urges researchers on social issues to smell like sheep
06 December 2019, 15:17

Pope Francis on Friday received in audience the officials and staff of the Italian weekly magazine, “Aggiornamenti Sociali”. In a prepared text he handed them, he encouraged a preferential love for the poor and building of bridges among people through listening, dialogue and walking together.
By Robin Gomes

Pope Francis encouraged those who research and reflect on social issues to have the heart of a shepherd who smells like sheep and assume the compassion of Jesus for the poor and suffering people.    “Putting yourself on the side of the poor is an encounter with suffering and injustice, but also with genuine and contagious happiness” of the Beatitudes, he told some 50 journalists and collaborators of the Italian weekly magazine, “Aggiornamenti Sociali” (Social Updates).
 
The Jesuit-run periodical and think tank that began in 1950, also offers formation and has a staff composed of Jesuits and lay people.
 
Pope Francis handed them the prepared text of his discourse but preferred to speak from his heart.  In their activities, he particularly encouraged them in the art of listening and dialoguing. 
 

[grace-land]

Update:  Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/archbishop-sheen-condemns-false-compassion-for-homosexuals-in-resurfaced-video
Fri Dec 6, 2019 - 7:34 pm EST
Archbishop Sheen condemns ‘false compassion’ for homosexuals in resurfaced video
Martin M. Barillas

PEORIA, Illinois, December 6, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) -- As controversy continues to swirl over the Vatican’s decision to postpone the beatification of the Venerable Fulton Sheen, archival video has surfaced showing the famed televangelist condemning “false compassion” for drug addiction, crime, and homosexuality, among other social ills.

In a video recorded in the early 1960s, Archbishop Sheen lectured television viewers about what he called “false compassion” for criminals, prostitutes, drug addicts, and homosexuals. “False compassion, which is gradually growing in this country, is a pity that is shown not to the mug, but to the mugger; not to the family of the murdered, but to the murderer.”
 
Sheen’s integrity in the face of clerical opponents

Sheen had the most popular show on American television in the 1950s and early ‘60s and became one of the most notable clergymen of the age. Besides his duties as auxiliary bishop of New York, he served as director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. When Cardinal Francis Spellman of New York demanded that the Society pay millions of dollars for dry milk that the U.S. government had donated for distribution to the poor of the world, Sheen refused.

According to author and EWTN news host Raymond Arroyo, in a preface to a re-edition of Sheen’s autobiography, Sheen felt an obligation to protect the money, “even from the itchy fingers of his own Cardinal." When Pope Pius XII sided with Sheen in the dispute, Spellman reputedly told Sheen that he would have revenge. ing3::
 
Sheen victimized in death

“Even in death,” Arroyo said, “Sheen is still being victimized for his good works.”

As for any accusation against Sheen over the handling of an accused sex abusing priest, Arroyo said Sheen refused to return the accused priest to ministry, which is what many bishops since then have not done. On his program, Arroyo said Cardinals Timothy Dolan of New York and Blase Cupich of Chicago decided to push the postponement until the New York investigation into clerical sexual abuse is completed.
 
Sheen not implicated in abuse

Until the Vatican announcement on Monday, the beatification of the renowned televangelist, who captivated millions with his defense of basic morality and civil rights, had been scheduled for December 21 in Peoria, Illinois.

“The history of the cause is not one of counsel and collaboration,” wrote Rev. Raymond J. de Souza, who edits Convivium, a Catholic publication of Canada. This suggested to some commentators that Bishop Daniel Jenky of the Diocese of Peoria may have been too hasty in forwarding the process.
 

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-12/pope-to-catholic-ngos-move-forward-with-courage-and-hope.html

Pope to Catholic NGOs: Move forward with courage and hope
07 December 2019, 12:14

Pope Francis welcomed Papal representatives, representatives of Dicasteries of the Roman Curia, and members of Catholic-inspired NGOs to the “See of Peter” on Saturday, as a symbol of their “communion with the universal Church”.
By Christopher Wells

In receiving participants in the IV Forum of Catholic Inspired Non-Governmental Organizations, Pope Francis noted that their visit to the See of Peter is a symbol of their communion with the universal Church.

The Holy Father reminded them that they demonstrate what Vatican II described as “the presence of the Church in the world”. Quoting from the pastoral constitution Gaudium et spes, the Pope said, “Different Catholic international bodies can assist the community of nations on the way to peace, sisterhood and brotherhood”.
 

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-12/pope-francis-audience-italian-cinema-halls.html

Pope urges cinema to continue to be a school of humanism
07 December 2019, 14:34

Pope Francis on Saturday received in audience members of Italy’s Catholic Association of Community Cinema Hall Operators (ACEC).
By Robin Gomes

Pope Francis on Saturday urged Catholic community cinema halls of Italy to help build communion with creativity and attentive gaze, saying it is part of the Christian faith.    He was speaking to some 400 members of the ACEC. Meeting them on the occasion of their association’s 70th anniversary this year, the Pope entrusted them with 3 tasks.

Communion

Firstly, he exhorted them to build communion saying cinema is a great instrument for bringing people together.  He noted that particularly in the post-war period, cinema helped in the reconstruction of the social fabric, transmitting hopes and expectations by providing relief to people from their daily anxieties and difficulties. Watching films also had an educational and formative aspect to help reconnect relationships consumed by tragedies.

Describing the post-war cinema as a great school of humanism, the Pope said the association is heir to this humanism.   

The Pope noted that ACEC is appreciated for its ability to bring people together and build communion, something that Christians are called to manifest, saying faith itself is a relationship and an encounter.  He thus invited the group to build communion not only among themselves but also with Catholic associations and organizations dealing with cinema, saying without communion, coming together lacks the soul.
 

[grace-land]

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/vatican-investments-linked-to-global-money-laundering-investigations-91401

Vatican investments linked to global money laundering investigations
By Ed Condon

Vatican City, Dec 7, 2019 / 03:05 pm (CNA).- A fund in which the Vatican’s Secretariat of State has invested tens of millions of euros has links to two Swiss banks investigated or implicated in bribery and money laundering scandals involving more than one billion dollars. The fund is under investigation by Vatican authorities.

The fund, Centurion Global Fund, made headlines this week that it used the Vatican assets under its management to invest in Hollywood films, real estate, and utilities, including investments in movies like “Men in Black International” and the Elton John biopic “Rocketman.”

Italian newspaper Corriere della Serra reported that the Centurion Global Fund has raised around 70 million euro in cash, and that the Holy See’s Secretariat of State is the source of at least two-thirds of the fund’s assets. The Vatican’s investment is reported to include funds from the Peter’s Pence collection, intended to support charitable works and the ministry of the Vatican Curia.
 
The Holy See Press Office said on Wednesday that “investigations are in progress” regarding the Centurion Fund and other investments made by the Secretariat of State.

“Lines of enquiry which may help clarify the position of the Holy See with respect to the aforementioned funds and any others, are currently being examined by the Vatican judiciary, in collaboration with the competent authorities,” the statement said.

Multiple phone calls from CNA to Centurion and Gamma went unanswered. An email requesting comment from Vella was not responded to by time of posting.

[grace-land]

Update:  Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/while-embarrassing-sheen-beatification-delay-could-turn-out-well

Nation |  Dec. 5, 2019
While Embarrassing, Sheen Beatification Delay Could Turn Out Well
COMMENTARY: The latest development may finally give the Sheen beatification the treatment it deserves.
Father Raymond J. de Souza

That postponement of the beatification of Venerable Fulton J. Sheen is just the latest baffling development in the cause that has brought no small measure of embarrassment to what should have been an occasion of edification.

But the latest fiasco may finally get the Sheen beatification the treatment it deserves, namely a proper celebration for the universal Church, not just a parochial event for the promoters of the cause.

The Sheen saga has had many twists and turns.

The Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, and Bishop Daniel Jenky have been the promoters of Archbishop Sheen’s cause for sainthood. They launched the process in 2002, did the work and raised the money. They got the cause through to the point where beatification was imminent.
 

[grace-land]

Update:  Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

https://twitter.com/roccopalmo
Rocco Palmo @roccopalmo  5h  5 hours ago
 
In latest salvo of “Beatification Wars,” amid postponement (or more) of Sheen rites, Peoria official issues op-ed accusing Rochester of “sabotage,” says Ven Fulton’s handling of NY cases “has been exonerated”: http://bit.ly/2PlW9go
________________
The op-ed at the link below--

https://celebratesheen.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/12-06-19_Kruse-Op-Ed.pdf
Op Ed:  The Actions of Rochester Diocese:  Caution or Sabotage?
 
Msgr. James Kruse
Member of Fulton Sheen Foundation
December 7, 2019
 
I am Msgr. James Kruse and hold a degree in church law.  For many years I have served as the Vicar General of the Diocese of Peoria.  I have been intimately involved in the process for advancing the Cause for Beatification of Fulton Sheen almost from its inception.  I had the privilege of being involved in the investigation of the miracle that was ultimately approved by the Pope.  I was involved in every stage of the court proceedings in New York regarding the transfer of the mortal remains of Fulton Sheen.  It was a great privilege and honor to be present in New York and Peoria on the day his remains were transferred from the cathedral in New York to the cathedral in Peoria.  I was filled with joy to hear that Rome approved the miracle attributed to Fulton Sheen and that Pope Francis called for his Beatification.  Then I became disappointed when a date for Beatification was not initially granted.  I worked extensively in Peoria and at the Vatican offices in Rome examining documents presented by the Diocese of Rochester.  Then, I was filled with joy, when recently the date of December 21, 2019, was announced for Sheen’s Beatification in Peoria.  But, this week, I again became disappointed when Sheen’s Beatification was postponed.  As various news articles were posted and even more when statements from the Diocese of Rochester were publicized, I decided to speak out earlier this week in order to defend Sheen and present the truth of this lengthy ordeal.  And now I speak out again in the hopes of setting the record straight, hopefully, for the last time.
 

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-12/pope-at-angelus-may-our-whole-life-be-a-yes-to-god.html

Pope at Angelus: May our whole life be a “yes” to God
08 December 2019, 12:53

The Blessed Virgin Mary, conceived without sin and full of grace, is at the centre of today's feast. In his reflection before the Angelus, the Pope highlights all her beauty: a masterpiece even in her humility, capable of making room for God without complacency and ready to put herself at the service of others. May she be a model of our communities and of our life.
By Vatican News

The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary – “celebrating the singular grace and privilege granted by God” by which the Mother of God “was preserved free from all stain of original sin” from the first moment of her conception – was the focus of Pope Francis’ reflections at the Angelus on the Second Sunday of Advent.
This feast, he said, is found in Advent, a time of waiting and expectation; but in the case of Mary, he explained, God’s will has already been done, as Mary was preserved “from the contamination of evil that is the common legacy of the human family.”
 
https://zenit.org/articles/angelus-address-on-the-solemnity-of-the-immaculate-conception-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary/
Angelus Address: On the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
December 08, 2019 15:38  Virginia Forrester

Video, with English commentary, at the link below--
Pope's Angelus of 8 December 2019
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope-francis/angelus/2019-12/pope-s-angelus-of-8-december-2019.html

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-12/pope-entrusts-sinners-to-mary-in-prayer-for-immaculate-conceptio.html

Pope entrusts sinners to Mary in prayer for Immaculate Conception
08 December 2019, 16:53

Pope Francis visits Rome’s Piazza di Spagna on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and prays that Our Lady may help free us from corruption of heart.
By Vatican News

During his Sunday Angelus address in St Peter’s Square, Pope Francis announced he would be visiting Piazza di Spagna to perform what he called “the traditional act of homage at the foot of the monument to the Immaculate Conception”. He asked all those present to join him spiritually in this gesture, which, he said, “expresses our filial devotion to our heavenly Mother”.

Blessed Pius IX

The statue of Our Lady stands above a 12-metre high ancient Roman column. It was placed here on September 8th 1857 and commemorates Pope Pius IX’s proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, stating that Mary is the only human being who was born without original sin. 

Venerable Pius XII

The column and statue were originally erected with the help of 220 firemen, which is why the floral tributes always include a garland of flowers placed in Our Lady’s arms by a member of Rome’s fire department. The tradition of offering flowers to her image here on this feast day was begun by Pope Pius XII.

Pope Francis

When he arrived in Piazza di Spagna on Sunday afternoon, Pope Francis addressed his own prayer to Our Lady at the foot of the monument. He entrusted to her all those in Rome and throughout the world, who are burdened “by discouragement because of sin; those who think there is no longer hope for them, that their sins are too many and too great, and that God certainly does not have time to waste with them”.

The Pope thanked our Immaculate Mother for reminding us that, because of Jesus’ love “we are no longer slaves to sin, but free, free to love, free to love one another, to help one another as brothers and sisters, despite our differences”.

Below please find the unofficial Vatican News translation of the Holy Father’s prayer:
 
Video at the link below--
Pope Francis-Homage to the Statue of the Immaculate Conception 2019-12-08
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-12/cardinal-tagle-is-the-new-prefect-of-propaganda-fide.html

Cardinal Tagle is the new Prefect of Propaganda Fide
08 December 2019, 12:05

Cardinal Filoni becomes Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre. The Archbishop of Manila succeeds him at the head of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
By Vatican News

The Cardinal Archbishop of Manila, Luis Antonio Tagle is the new Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. The appointment of Pope Francis was announced today, Sunday 8 December. The current Prefect, Fernando Filoni, assumes the post of Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulcher in place of Cardinal Edwin Frederick O'Brien, who resigned in April 2019 and turned 80.

With the nomination of Tagle an Asian cardinal returned to the leadership of Propaganda Fide (the ancient name of the important department for evangelization, which is also responsible for episcopal nominations in mission lands), after the years of Indian Cardinal Ivan Dias (2006-2011). Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, born on 21 June 1957 in Manila to a Catholic family - his father of Tagalog ethnicity and his mother of Chinese origin - was ordained priest in 1982. He studied in the United States where he obtained his doctorate in theology with a thesis on the evolution of the notion of episcopal collegiality since the Second Vatican Council. He spent seven years in Rome to deepen his studies and in 1997 joined the International Theological Commission.
 

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-12/pope-education-centred-on-person-environment.html

Pope encourages education centred on the person and the environment
09 December 2019, 13:12

Pope Francis meets supporters of the organization “A Chance in Life”, founded in 1945 and dedicated to serving disadvantaged youth through education and formation initiatives around the world.
By Vatican News

Pope Francis met a group of supporters and friends of the organization “A Chance in Life” in the Vatican on Monday morning. The foundation runs what are known as Boys’ and Girls’ Towns all over the world.
 
The beginning of the organization

The end of the Second World War in Italy left vast numbers of orphans and vulnerable children on the streets. An Irish priest, Monsignor John Patrick Carroll-Abbing, had the visionary idea of creating a structure called “Boys’ Town” which would provide them with necessary skills, and teach them to be protagonists of their own lives.
 

[grace-land]

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-12/pope-to-seminarians-remain-close-to-god-to-avoid-clericalism-an.html

Pope to Seminarians: Remain close to God to avoid clericalism and rigidity
09 December 2019, 13:53

Pope Francis on Monday receives seminarians from the Pontifical Regional Seminary Flaminio located in Bologna on the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of its foundation.
By Vatican News

In his speech, Pope Francis spoke about the "beauty of the call to the ministerial priesthood".

He described the seminary as a place of growth for seminarians, identifying three key aspects: a house of prayer, study and communion.

On the first aspect, the Pope stressed that it was necessary to devote an adequate commitment to spiritual formation since these are the most favourable years for learning to be with the Lord, “to learn to listen to him and contemplate his face.”

He noted the importance of silence and remaining in God’s presence, but he also stressed that the encounter with Jesus in the face and flesh of the poor is also essential.
 
https://zenit.org/articles/pope-cites-aspects-and-attitudes-of-a-seminary/
Pope Cites Aspects and Attitudes of a Seminary
Address to Community of the Pontifical Benedict XV Flaminian Regional Seminary of Bologna
December 09, 2019 17:05  Jim Fair

[grace-land]

Photo gallery at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-12/pope-visits-100-presepi-exhibition.html

Pope visits exhibition of 100 Nativity Scenes
09 December 2019, 17:37

Pope Francis pays a visit to an exhibition of Nativity Scenes on Monday afternoon.

Pilgrims and tourists got a big surprise on Monday afternoon when Pope Francis made a visit to the 100 Presepi in Vatican (100 Nativity Scenes in the Vatican ) exhibition which opened on Saturday in the Vatican.

As well as looking at the over 150 Nativity Scenes which come from Italy and more than 40 other countries, the Pope said a prayer and blessed those present.
 
The 2019 edition of 100 Presepi runs until the 12th January at the Pius X Hall in Via del Ospedale near St Peter's Basilica.

[grace-land]

Update:  The movie, "The Two Popes"

https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2019/12/author-wrote-the-two-popes-nonfiction-book-then-fictional-screenplay/

Author wrote ‘The Two Popes’ nonfiction book, then fictional screenplay
Mark Pattison  Dec 8, 2019
CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Anthony McCarten is a double-dipper. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

The Catholic writer first wrote a nonfiction book called “The Two Popes,” then was commissioned to write its fictional screenplay, which centers on fly-on-the-wall conversations between Pope Francis (Jonathan Pryce) and retired Pope Benedict XVI (Anthony Hopkins).

It also focuses on the struggles of young Jesuit Father Jorge Bergoglio, the future Francis, in Argentina during the South American nation’s “dirty war” years in which it routinely “disappeared” its own citizens, priests included - anyone it viewed as a threat to the regime.
 
After the brief theatrical run for “The Two Popes,” it will go to Netflix. “Its fate has already almost been assured,” McCarten said. “After a three-week run around the world, opening in almost 50 countries, it’s going to be available in 50 million homes. Multiply that by the average size of households, that means our story will be available at least to a vast global audience. That’s very exciting as a storyteller.”