Events Planning Office of the Governorate

Recurrent and extraordinary events

Everything revolves around this structure when organizing and planning events, both institutional ones and those from beyond the Vatican. The Events Planning Office is central to the Governorate and to those who have to plan recurrent events or a one-off event. The managers of the Events Planning Office, which is under the authority of the General Secretariat of the Governorate of Vatican City State, explain how they work in the following interview.

How is your section organized?

The Events Planning Office is the direct responsibility of the Office of the General Secretariat. It receives authorizations to proceed with creating and managing events from the Cardinal President and the Secretary General, with the assistance of their respective Offices.

What are the duties of the Events Planning Office?

It assists in the organization and successful outcome of events requested by the Bodies of the Holy See and of the Governorate of Vatican City State, as part of their respective institutional tasks, and events in which the “requesting party” will bear the costs of the event.

The Office evaluates the clients’ needs and shares them with the Directorates and Offices of the Governorate, which cooperate each in accordance with their areas of competence, to providing the services required to meet the needs of the circumstance.

The Events Planning Office carries out a least one inspection to the place that has been authorized for an event, along with all the parties involved. These initial stages take place for all events whether they are institutional or not, and they have as their main objective, the simplification of the organization in order to contain costs for everyone.

The Events Planning Office sets off by presenting itself to the “authorized party” of the event as the sole representative for all technical, logistical and organizational needs and also deals with the administrative aspects.

When and how are you informed that an event that will take place?

There is no precise time frame. Some events are authorized one year ahead of time and others are organized in a matter of a few days. Sometimes we are first contacted via telephone by people who want to know about the availability of places that come under the responsibility of the Governorate, so that the request can be sent to our superiors for potential dates.

Are there any recurrent events? And if so, can you tell me which and how many?

The events that take place on a yearly basis vary. Some are institutional.

An important event is the inauguration ceremony for the Nativity Scene and the lighting of the Christmas Tree in Saint Peter’s Square, around the time of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

The evening ceremony, which is broadcast live on television and eagerly anticipated by all Christians, and in particular by Rome, welcomes 2,000 guests, including the President of the Governorate of Vatican City State, the Secretary General and religious and lay representatives of the donating Dioceses, and is accompanied by music from the Vatican Gendarmerie Band.

Another recurrent event is the Via Crucis in the Vatican Gardens, in which collaborators of the Governorate participate. The last station takes place in the evocative Grotto of Lourdes. It is a moment of prayer that gathers together various offices of the Governorate, who move from one station to the next, accompanied by the Chaplains of the Directorates and Central offices.

Are there any other annual events?

I would also like to highlight the yearly support to the Salesian Fr. Francesco Fontana who, at the Holy Father’s request, was appointed Coordinator of the Programs, “Estate Ragazzi in Vaticano” and “Festa della Famiglia”, when our families gather together in prayer and joyful recreation.

Moreover, there are events that have become yearly appointments in time, like for example, the swearing-in ceremony of the new recruits of the Pontifical Swiss Guard in May, and the Oratori Milanesi’s celebration of Holy Mass in the Basilica of Saint Peter on the Tuesday after Easter, in addition to the logistical support to events organized by the Office of Protocol of the Secretariat of State.

The Jubilee is almost here. How are you preparing for it?

The methods used over the years to manage events, with IT support which is fundamental to our activity, and with a program that was tried and tested and optimized for the Jubilee of Mercy, have given us the opportunity to consider possible scenarios for 2025. However, we are still expecting further information that will have to be assessed and shared among various services, in an effort to provide as much detail as possible to ensure the successful outcome of events during this complex year.

(Nicola Gori)