The operations to dismantle the Nativity Scene and remove the Christmas tree set up in St. Peter’s Square for Christmas have been completed. As announced, starting on Monday, January 12, after the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, the dismantling and relocation activities began. These were carried out by staff from the Directorate of Infrastructure and Services of the Governorate, together with the organizers of the Nativity.

Patroness of Venezuela

A new Marian image has been placed on the walls of the Bastione di Maestro in the Vatican Gardens: Our Lady of Coromoto, Patroness of Venezuela.
In the inaugural ceremony held on the morning of Monday, October 20 — the day after the canonization of the first two Venezuelan Saints, José Gregorio Hernández and Mother Carmen Rendiles Martínez — the mosaic depicting Mary enthroned with the Child was unveiled and blessed.

The Postal and Philately Service under the Directorate of Telecommunications and Information Systems, informs that the joint postal issue between the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and the Vatican City State, celebrating the canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis, scheduled for Sunday, April 27, has been temporarily suspended until further notice. The canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis itself had to be suspended in mourning of the death of our Holy Father Pope Francis.

The conditions and needs of the sick, in the eyes of a throwaway culture, may not respond to rigid and callous canons of profit and productivity. As a consequence the ill can be easily marginalized, especially in modern society. On April 5 and 6 physicians, health care professionals together with patients and volunteers celebrated the Jubilee of the Sick and Health Care Workers for this Holy Year.

Astronomy: an experience of wonder and contemplation

A Jesuit’s Guide to the Stars: Exploring Wonder, Beauty, and Science, published in February 2025, is the title of the latest book by Brother Guy Consolmagno. Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Brother Consolmagno has a Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s Degree from MIT, as well as a PhD in planetary sciences from the University of Arizona. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1989, and was appointed Director of the Vatican Observatory by Pope Francis, in 2015. 

1. “Jesus… rose from supper and took off his outer garments. He took a towel and tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet  and dry them with the towel around his waist. (Jn 13:4–5).

A masterpiece restored to its original splendor

“A restoration that has revealed many technical, stylistic, and methodological insights from one of the great Renaissance projects. A restoration that must be called ‘exemplary,’ as it reflects the ongoing work of the vast machine that is the Vatican Museums in the fields of research, conservation, and restoration.

The Musical Band of the Gendarmerie Corps, directed by Stefano Iannilli, and the Musical Band of the Italian Military Navy, directed by Ship Commander, Antonio Barbagallo, will hold a concert on Friday, 25 October, at 6:00 p.m. in the New Wing of the Vatican Museums. The concert will be the last in the series of concerts titled, “Music at the Museums 2024”.

Together for Legality

In memory of Judge Giovanni Falcone, hundreds of students took part in the 6th edition of the initiative “Men and Women in Uniform, a Resource for the Community”, dedicated to the victims of the mafia and to all those who sacrificed their lives in the service of the Italian State.

A Historic Moment

It was indeed a historic moment, for the first time ever the musical bands of the Corps of the Gendarmerie and the Pontifical Swiss Guard performed together. The concert, held in the presence of Pope Leo XIV, took place on the evening of Monday, September 29, in the courtyard of the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo, on the Feast of Saint Michael the Archangel, Patron of Vatican City State.

The Band of the Vatican Gendarmerie Corps and the Band of the Rome Capital Police performed together in a concert held in the Braccio Nuovo of the Vatican Museums. The event took place on Friday afternoon, 7 November, as part of the series “Music at the Museums – Jubilee 2025”, organized in collaboration between the Directorate of Museums and Cultural Heritage and the Italian National Music Committee (CIDIM).

When musicians point us toward the manger

It addresses anyone who draws near, inviting them to contemplate the mystery of the birth of Jesus. The figure is of a musician of the Band of the Gendarmerie Corps, standing and facing outward from the Nativity scene. He joins the choir of Angels in accompanying the chant Venite Adoremus. With his music he breaks the silence of the night to make known to all the most astonishing news: the Lord is born in Bethlehem of the Virgin Mary.

Jesus is born amid the flora of the Vatican Gardens

Before drones crossed the sky—when only the stars guided travelers along their way—Jesus was born in Bethlehem. The Prince of Peace came into the world in silence, humility and unknown.

Estate Ragazzi in Vaticano, reserved for the families of employees of the Holy See and the Governorate of Vatican City State.

The Pope’s concern for families 

A nursery school born from “Pope Francis’ concern for the families of Vatican employees, so that they can have an adequate structure to which they can entrust their little ones”. The “San Francesco e Santa Chiara” nursery school was blessed by Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, President Emeritus of the Governorate of the Vatican City State, during its inauguration as the first ever to open within the Vatican Walls. The ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on Monday afternoon, April 14, at its location on Via San Luca.

The Governorate of Vatican City State has undertaken an extensive process of review and renewal of the State Mint and of the Philatelic and Numismatic marketing activities, aimed at ensuring greater efficiency, quality and transparency in all aspects of its operations. This process has involved the entire supply chain: from internal management policies to product design, to the redefinition of safer, more digital and accessible distribution channels.

On December 5^th, Sr. Raffaella Petrini, FSE visited the Ohio Chapter of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums in Cleveland, Ohio. At the gala dinner with over 250 persons, the President thanked the Ohio Patrons for their twenty years of selfless generosity in their dedication to restoration of various artistic works of the Vatican Museums.

“Servant leadership in pastoral ministry” was the theme of the symposium attended by Sr. Raffaella Petrini, President of the Governorate of the Vatican City State. Organized for seminarians, counselors, students, and the Benedictine monastic community of the neighboring Mount Angel Abbey, the meeting took place on Friday, February 6, at Mount Angel Seminary in Saint Benedict, Oregon, U.S.A.

As part of the celebrations for the 325th anniversary of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, the Choir of the Cardinal Domenico Bartolucci Foundation performed a concert in the Braccio Nuovo of the Vatican Museums on Wednesday afternoon, 27 May 2026.

The portrait of the President Emeritus of the Governorate of Vatican City State, Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, was installed in the presidential corridor of the Governorate Palace on Tuesday morning, June 24.