Pope Benedict XVI to say mass in St. Peter's Basilica (photos, video)
San Francisco residents are learning that Pope Benedict XVI is about to begin what will be two very busy weeks of celebrations for Christmas with an evening Mass held in Rome, Italy, in the St. Peter's Basilica.
San Francisco resident, Zebbie Arcault, says "I'm not Catholic but I listen to the Mass because it puts me in the Christmas spirit."
But don't expect the Midnight Mass to actually be held at midnight. It won't be. That's because the Midnight Mass ceremony was changed to the time of 10pm some years ago so that the 84-year-old pontiff would not have to go through such a late night.
According to reports from USA Today, Pope Benedict XVI will hold the Mass, and then, after several hours of rest, he will give his traditional "Urbi et Orbi" speech to the public. The name of the speech is Latin for "to the city and the world."
In this speech, Pope Benedict XVI often talks about the hardships the world is currently facing. He then ends the speech by delivering Christmas greetings in several languages.
Next weekend, reports USA Today, Pope Benedict XVI will preside over a vespers service on New Year's Eve then a mass on New Year's Day.
There will be an Epiphany Mass on the 6th January 2012. Two days later, the Pontiff will baptize babies in the Sistine Chapel.
Back in San Francisco, residents are winding up the year by going to Midnight Mass on 24th December 2011, and by watching on video the 2011 top bloopers of the year. You can see that video here: SF learns: 2011 bloopers captured on video (video)
And while there is no Midnight Mass as such, there IS a Christmas Day service at 11am in San Francisco at the Presbyterian St. Paul's church at 43rd and Judah in the Sunset district. All are welcome.
Follow Sheila on Twitter (@Sheilamba)
See photos and video related to this story on the left-hand side. The video is of the Pope being knocked down at St. Peter's Basilica.
As the little ones wait for the arrival of Santa, you might want to tell them how Santa came about. You can find our more on this article: NORAD the mistake that brought Santa to life in San Francisco
The Pope had previously given comments on the use of condoms. See that article here: Pope: comments on condoms welcome
See a slideshow on the Pope here: Pope comments on condoms
Other top news stories in San Francisco this week have been on Kim Jong-Il; a 14-year old gay student shot; Kobe Bryant and his wife getting divorced, the passing of the Vanity Fair contributing editor and the end to the U.S. war in Iraq.
And should you be heading to Oklahoma City for the holidays, there is still time to see Santa before he flies away to deliver all those presents. See that article here: Three places you can still see Santa in Oklahoma City
Comments