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
- 📝 Was the 66 book Bible being used by early Christians?
- 📝 Does the Lumen Gentium dogmatic constitution say that non-Catholic Christians cannot be saved?
- 📝 Can a secular government ever be a moral authority?
- 📝 Are things commonly blessed by priests at certain times of the year appropriate to bring to a priest for a special blessing?
- 📝 Does everything happen for a reason, and what is the biblical support for the different views?
- 📝 How much water is necessary for baptism (Catholic perspective)?
- 📝 Where does Grace reside? (Catholicism)
- 📝 Who is Enoch's mother? How is Enoch born?
- 📝 In light of grace, How does a Christian consider the devotedness of Muslims and Jews?
- 📝 Must one believe that there is only one True and Living God to be saved?
- 📝 What does it means INRI in Jesus Cross?
- 📝 Did Ignatius believe in the doctrine of Eternal Generation of the Son?
- 📝 According to Catholicism, when is vandalism not sinful?
- 📝 Lazarus and the rich man's table
- 📝 Do Protestants believe that all sins are equal?
- 📝 Did the original Greek scriptures use upper and lower case letters, in particular for "Holy Ghost"?
- 📝 What was the forgers intentions for doing their forgeries?
- 📝 According to Reformed Theology, what is the exegetical basis for the claim that 1 Timothy 2:4 means "all kinds of people"?
- 📝 Why is use of the phrase "for God's sake" often considered sinful?
- 📝 Saints Who Disobeyed Parents or Superiors in Order to Avoid Committing Sin
- 📝 Who is the Head of House that Jesus is referring to in Matthew 10:25?
- 📝 How to harmonize teachings of Jesus and Paul about work?
- 📝 How do Jehovah Witnesses support scripturely the idea that humans will live on earth after death?
- 📝 How would miaphysites approach the question of monothelitism versus dyothelitism?
- 📝 Tackling Catholic philosophy and theology
- 📝 What is meant by "Catholic Truths" in Ott's «Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma»?
- 📝 Why do Jehovah's Witnesses not pray with people of other faith?
- 📝 What, specifically, if anything, is heterodox about LDS eschatology?
- 📝 Which Christians refuse vaccinations on religious grounds?
- 📝 Can more recent revelation from LDS prophets nullify or change official Mormon scripture?
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?