Church places migrants’ boat in 2016 Christmas Nativity scene

intern 16:23 - 09 December 2016

Pope Francis stands in the popemobile in St Peter's Square in the Vatican

According to the International Organisation for Migration, Italy has registered a record 174,603 migrant landings this year.

The European migration crisis features at the centre of the Vatican’s Christmas Nativity scene this year, in a display that will be inaugurated at the Vatican’s St Peter’s Square on Friday.

The Nativity scene, a donation from the government and the Catholic Church of Malta, is 17 metres wide, 8 metres high and 12 metres deep, and features 17 figures wearing traditional Maltese clothing.

“It not only represents Malta’s traditions, such as fishing, but unfortunately also the reality of migrants who pass through its waters in makeshift vessels to reach Italy,’’ the Vatican City State said in a statement.

However additional 4,715 migrants have died or gone missing in Mediterranean Sea crossings, the highest figure ever.

The Vatican was also set to turn on the lights on a 25-metre, 90-year-old Christmas red fir tree from the Italian alps, adorned with baubles decorated by child cancer patients.

The tree would be illuminated by 18,000 led bulbs donated by Austrian company Starline.

The pope was not expected to attend the 4:30 pm (1530 GMT) ceremony.

However he was scheduled to meet Maltese and Italian officials who contributed to the set-up, as well as some of the children who drew on the Christmas tree baubles.