As a non-Christian, how to have best Christmas Day experience in Rome?
Upvote:3
The best way to celebrate Christmas in Rome is by keeping Christ in Christmas. Most churches and basilicas will have church services on every day that you plan to be in Rome. That would include churches of other denominations other than Catholic (Anglican, Lutheran and Protestant).
Besides going to a church service, which would be open to all, even non-Catholics and non-Christians, you may wish to take advantage of the Urbi et Orbi Blessing of the Pope at Vatican City on Christmas Day. While attending Catholic religious services called the Mass, please keep in mind that only practicing Catholics in the state of grace may receive Holy Communion.
For practicing Catholics, the Urbi et Orbi Blessing is an occasion to obtain a plenary indulgence. For those actually in Rome, those attending the actual ceremony will have the opportunity to see the pope.
The Urbi et Orbi address and blessing are given each Easter and Christmas from the central loggia of Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome, at noontime, and are broadcast worldwide through the European Broadcasting Union and other linkups. The address concludes with greetings in many languages in relation to the feast celebrated.
The Roman Catholic Church grants a plenary indulgence by the willful grace and intent of the Pope, on the usual conditions, to those who "devoutly receive" the blessing that the Pope imparts Urbi et Orbi.
Since 1985, this indulgence is granted not only to the people in Saint Peter's Square, but also to those who though unable to be physically present, "piously follow" it by radio or television. - Urbi et Orbi (Wikipedia)
While in Rome one may chose to visit the Basilica of St. Maria Maggiore which for those who believe contains a relic of the Holy Crib of Jesus.
The Holy Crib
In the crypt under the high altar lies the celebrated relic known as the Holy Crib. A statue of Pope Pius IX kneeling before the ancient wooden pieces of the manger serves as an example to the faithful who come to see the first humble crib of the Savior. Pius IX's devotion to the Holy Crib led him to commission the crypt chapel, and his coat of arms is visible above the altar. The precious crystal urn trimmed in silver, through which the faithful can venerate the relic, was designed by Giuseppe Valadier. The Papal Basilica St. Maria Maggiore
More post
- 📝 John 1:47-49 understanding Nathaniel
- 📝 How can we practice Matthew 18:15 in a public forum?
- 📝 Is there a standard text of the Litany of Loreto accepted for universal use by the Catholic Church?
- 📝 Public Domain KJV Bible w/ Christ's Words in Text
- 📝 Can baptized non-Catholics be virtuous?
- 📝 What does the curse on the serpent mean?
- 📝 According to Catholicism, are encyclicals considered infallible?
- 📝 Why did God create Adam and Eve so that they would sin?
- 📝 What is the earliest use of the phrase "the Lord's law of health" in reference to the LDS Word of Wisdom?
- 📝 Is building human-level AI impermissible according to any (published) Christian opinions?
- 📝 Does the Trinity share one mind or are there three separate minds?
- 📝 First Occurrence of "Sea of Forgetfulness" in Christian Literature
- 📝 How does the New Apostolic Church compare to evangelical christians?
- 📝 What is the Catholic Church's view on the appointment of theologians by NASA to study the impact of belief in ETs, in the context of Gen 6:1-3?
- 📝 When and where did the Catholic tradition of first communion at 7 years old start?
- 📝 Robber Councils in Eastern Orthodoxy
- 📝 Have there been any Christian writings on the genetics of Jesus?
- 📝 What is the origin of the Evil Eye in Christianity?
- 📝 Pre-Vatican II guidelines for vestments
- 📝 Identifying General and Universal Magisterium
- 📝 Why did Onesimus return to be a slave?
- 📝 According to Catholicism, is a lie ever justified?
- 📝 Why do Anglicans kneel when Catholics would stand?
- 📝 How widespread is panentheism within Protestant schools of thought?
- 📝 Do Matthew and John have a discrepancy with regards to Jesus before Pilate?
- 📝 Can God Change his mind?
- 📝 Which doctrine supports the idea that Daniel 2:44 is the Millenium Kingdom?
- 📝 Why do folks clasp their hands and bow their heads when praying?
- 📝 Seraphs in the Bible?
- 📝 How did Easter come to be associated with Eggs, Bunnies and Flowers?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 As a non-Christian, how to have best Christmas Day experience in Rome?
- 📝 How have mainstream Christian denominations interpreted the Acts command to abstain from blood?
- 📝 What is an overview of how Christian commentators have explained rulers to be a terror to bad conduct?
- 📝 How best for a Christian to explore the ethics of a Covid-19 vaccine that might use farmed cell-lines from aborted foetuses?
- 📝 How do you explain the Christian Message to people who have no Christian vocabulary or context?
- 📝 How is modern day Christian morality reconciled with the morality of the Bible?
- 📝 How have US Christian churches handled discrimination and segregation in the past?
- 📝 What was the first recorded near death experience of a Christian claiming to have one?
- 📝 How can a Christian seek out the best Homilists/Preachers?
- 📝 Are there other Christian authors besides WLC who believe that all Christians have access to a direct, self-authenticating experience of God?
- 📝 How is the Christian Jesus different from the Muslim Jesus?
- 📝 If the Ten Commandments say “thou shalt not kill” how can a Christian fight in a war?
- 📝 How can the sun be created after day and night?
- 📝 Did the early Church Fathers have a complete agreement on how to interpret 1 Peter 3:18-20?
- 📝 Why is Easter celebrated on a different day every year and Christmas is not?
- 📝 How could a loving, just, merciful God have created such an unfair test for humans?
- 📝 Have any major Christian intellectuals responded to Stephen Hawking's "The Grand Design"?
- 📝 What is the origin of the Christmas tree and is it accepted in all Christian traditions?
- 📝 How is it that an unchanging and omniscient God can have "regret" as He did in Gen 6:7?
- 📝 How could animals have gotten all around the world after the flood?
- 📝 How do Trinitarians explain verses where Jesus claims to have a God?
- 📝 How do Sola Scriptura defenders have a list of "scripture" since the list isn't mentioned in scripture?
- 📝 How have Protestants explained how Jesus could be born of mankind and be sinless?
- 📝 What evidence do we have today about Christian groups not represented at the first four ecumenical councils?
- 📝 How could a seventh-century heretic have possessed papal infallibility?
- 📝 How ambitious should a Christian be?
- 📝 How did John the Baptist have the "spirit and power of Elijah"?
- 📝 How should a Christian evaluate whether a particular action a sin or not?
- 📝 How is God's rest on the 7th day traditionally understood?
- 📝 Do all Christian views need to have a Biblical basis?
