Continuing the tradition begun in 1982, a 25-meter-tall tree from the northern Italian province of Bolzano finds its place towering over tourists in St. Peter’s Square until the end of the Christmas season.
By Kielce Gussie
VATICAN CITY — A 25-meter-tall red fir tree is now standing in St. Peter’s Square. This year, the tree comes from the Val d’Ultimo area in the province of Bolzano and was given by the municipalities of Lagundo and Val d’Ultimo, located in the northern part of Italy.
The province of Bolzano is known for its extraordinary beauty filled with lakes, forests, mountains, and meadows. After thorough examination, the forest guard service selected the tree.
As is tradition, in addition to the main tree, 40 smaller trees will also be brought to the Vatican and be placed in different offices and buildings of the Holy See. More mature trees are chosen as part of a natural renewal process.
Bishop Ivo Muser of Bolzano-Bressanone explained “the felling of the tree is not an act of disrespect but the result of careful forest management, where tree removal is part of an active care strategy that ensures the health of the forest and control its growth.”
In the area of South Tyrol—where the two cities are located—reforestation is seen as more than a simple project. It is, as the bishop noted, “an established practice and a cornerstone of sustainable forest management, where for every tree felled, new ones are planted, ensuring healthy and resilient forests for future generations.”
Part of this green perspective is that following the close of the Christmas season, essential oils are set to be extracted from the tree’s branches by the Austrian company Wilder Naturprodukte. The remaining wood will be donated to a charitable organization to be repurposed, in keeping with the guiding principles of environmental stewardship.
The Vatican Christmas tree tradition began in 1982 with Pope John Paul II when he received a Christmas tree as a gift from a Polish farmer, who had brought it all the way to Rome. Since then, the offering of the Christmas Tree to the Pope has become an honour, and each year the Vatican accepts a tree donated by a different European country or region.
