It said that Pope Francis would also celebrate Mass earlier on Holy Thursday in St Peter's Basilica.

BBC: Pope Francis to wash feet of prisoners in pre-Easter Mass

Instead, as Pope Francis, will celebrate Mass on Holy Thursday in St Peter's Basilica, and will wash the feet of prisoners in a youth detention centre in Rome, continuing a pre-Easter practice he began while archbishop of Buenos Aires.

BBC: Pope Francis calls newspaper kiosk to cancel order

So the traditional outdoor Nativity scene unveiled on Christmas Eve next to a giant illuminated Christmas tree in St Peter's Square has been paid for not by the Holy See but by the taxpayers of one of Italy's poorest regions, Basilicata, in the heel of Italy.

BBC: A cut-price crib for the Vatican

Kicking off Holy Week is the lively and colourful celebration of Palm Sunday, when the grey St Peter's Square turns into a sea of green.

BBC: Easter in Rome