Taiwan was guest of honor at the inauguration of the fourth exhibition of the “100 Nativity Scenes” in the Vatican on December 5.
Matthew SM Lee, ambassador of Taipei to the Holy See, said he was honored by the Vatican invitation.
“Pope Francis told us that the encounter between cultures is the best way to promote peace and brotherhood, that’s why we are here,” said the envoy in a report on AsiaNews.
“I hope that all this will bring us more peace, brotherhood and joy,” added Lee.
Taiwan’s Yang Yu Lin Dance Group performed accompanied by soprano singer Liu Mon Chieh during the event at St. Peter’s Square.
“Culture, art and music know no boundaries, they speak a universal message that everyone can understand in order to build bridges,” Monsignor Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, was quoted as saying.
For the fourth year running, the Vatican is hosting the “100 Nativity Scenes” International Exhibition, bringing together over 100 cribs from across the world depicting the Nativity of the Lord.
The exhibition, which has become a traditional feature in the Christmas calendar of events in Rome, is being held under the colonnade of St Peter’s Square, from December 5 until January 9.
As in the 2020 edition, the popular exhibition has been moved outdoors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 126 cribs exhibited this year come from a number of European countries, such as Italy, Germany, Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia and Croatia, and from other parts of the world, including Kazakhstan, Peru, Indonesia, Uruguay, Colombia and the United States.
Crèches from several Roman parishes and some 30 schools in the Latium region will be exhibited.
Materials used to make the cribs range from paper, fabric, cork and wood to less common materials.
Participants this year include the chocolate company Il Cioccolato dei Trappisti (The Trappist Chocolate) that will exhibit a nativity scene made of chocolate and weighing 100 kg.
“100 Presepi” was established in Rome in 1976 and originally took place in the city’s central Piazza del Popolo.
In 2018, it moved to the Vatican and is now organized by the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization. – with a report from Vatican News