“These flowers and plants have been grown with craftsmanship,” the bishop said at the Keukenhof Flower Park in Lisse, the flower capital of the Netherlands.
The flowers, he said, “go to Rome for the great feast of Easter, when we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. The flowers will grace St. Peter’s Square as Pope Francis pronounces his ‘Urbi et Orbi,’ his blessing over the city and the world. On the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord, this floral splendor will be fully displayed.”
He added: “God gives the blooming power and growth, and as human beings we are allowed to cooperate with creation through the talents we have been given.”
In 2018, Dutch media reported that 50,000 flowers, weighing around 30 tons, were brought to the Vatican, where they were arranged by 25 people.
The Vatican said for that Easter 2022, professional florists from the Netherlands and Slovenia, in collaboration with Vatican gardeners, would work “the entire day of Good Friday to prepare and finish the decorations by the following day.”
After his Easter “Urbi et Orbi” blessing, Pope Francis always makes a point of thanking the Netherlands for the gift of flowers.
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“In this square, the joy of the Resurrection is symbolized by flowers, which also this year come from the Netherlands, while those in St. Peter’s Basilica are from Slovenia,” he said in 2019. “A big special thanks to the donors of these splendid floral gifts.”
Hannah Brockhaus is Catholic News Agency’s senior Rome correspondent. She grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and has a degree in English from Truman State University in Missouri.
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