Admirabile signum

Coat of arms of Pope Francis

Admirabile signum ( German  "wonderful sign" ) is, according to his incipit , the title of an apostolic letter in the form of a motu proprio from Pope Francis . It deals with the tradition of the Christmas crib , its meaning and value in the religious customs of the Roman Catholic Church.

The document comprises 10 chapters and was signed on November 29, 2019 during a visit by the Pope to Greccio , where, according to legend, St. Francis of Assisi had the Christmas Gospel presented for the first time in the form of a living nativity scene in 1223 . The publication of the letter followed on December 1 of the same year.

Grotto of the first nativity scene in Greccio

In this letter, the Pope expresses his appreciation for the tradition of depicting the birth of Jesus in the stable of Bethlehem in families and various other places, and encourages the faithful to revive this tradition where it has been lost. The letter recalls the first depiction of the Christmas scene according to biographical sources about Francis of Assisi, according to which a Christmas crib was set up for viewing for the first time on Christmas 1223. The letter honors this event as a “work of evangelization”. Then Pope Francis looks at the individual elements and certain traditional designs of the crib in order to point them spiritually to the love of God and to establish the special reference to poverty.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Visita del Santo Padre al Santuario Francescano di Greccio. In: Daily Bulletin. Holy See Press Office , November 29, 2019, accessed December 1, 2019 (Italian). 
2. ↑ ^{a b} Apostolic Letter Admirabile signum of the Holy Father Pope Francis on the importance and value of the Christmas crib. In: Daily Bulletin. Holy See Press Office, December 1, 2019, accessed December 1, 2019 .